Capitol Day and the Importance of Legislative Advocacy

Board member Bekah shares why it’s important to advocate for your children and your school choice:
 
"Every parent can be an advocate for school choice, school funding, and legislation that impacts virtual public schools. A simple way to dip your toe into advocacy is to attend Oregon Virtual Schools Capitol Day in Salem on February 27. One of the vital parts of being an advocate, is teaching your children how to advocate for themselves. At Capitol Day, you will have the opportunity to go with your kids to the offices of your local legislators, tell them why virtual schools work for your family and why you hope they will support school choice. Modeling this to our children and giving them the opportunity to share their stories with their legislators shows them how powerful their voice is too. My kids and I hope to see you at Capitol Day!"

Is Oregon restricting education choice?

Oregon has a 3% enrollment cap law, which restricts the total number of students who can enroll in a full-time virtual school to just 3% of a school district's total student population. This means virtual schools cannot accept students from a capped district, regardless of demand.  

Due to this law, many families are left without viable alternatives to traditional schools, preventing children from reaching their academic goals.

What can you do if your district is already full?

  1. Still apply: Start the enrollment process for a virtual school — the school district then has 10 days to either approve or deny our request to transfer.

  2. Submit an appeal to the state: You have ten days after the denial to submit an appeal to the Oregon Department of Education.

  3. Speak up: Schedule an appointment with your superintendent to discuss how transferring benefits your family. If they deny your plea, continue to be persistent. 

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us!

What is Virtual School?

What is virtual public school? And why is it so important?

Simply put, virtual public school is exactly what it sounds like — publicly funded schools that are entirely online.

Not to be confused with homeschooling, virtual public schools follow state-regulated curricula and have state-licensed teachers.

Oregon families rely on virtual public schools for education for many reasons. For some, this school choice allows students to have a more flexible schedule and provides a more tailored, family-originated educational experience. For others, it's a solution for families dealing with health issues, bullying, and learning disabilities. 

Whatever the reason, many families need this educational option for their children. At Oregon Virtual Public Schools Alliance, we are here to ensure that our elected officials understand the importance of this school choice and advocate for continued funding.

Interested in getting involved? You can reach out to us by emailing info@oregonvirtualschools.org

Learn How to Advocate for Virtual Public School!

Families across Oregon rely on this school choice for an excellent education, and the best way to keep virtual public schools funded is by sharing YOUR story with our elected officials.

Advocating doesn't have to be hard - we're here to help you! It can be as simple as sharing how virtual education has benefited your family or sharing your child's most recent school project — anything that will help showcase the importance of your school choice.

Increasing awareness about virtual public schooling helps us keep it accessible in Oregon and allows more children to find a perfect educational fit.

  1. MEET WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR: This can be one of the best ways to share your story and advocate for digital school. Meetings can be in-person or virtual. Contact us or your legislator to schedule a meeting.

  2. WRITE A LETTER/EMAIL: A well-written and polite letter or email will be received more favorably than hostile or poorly written emails and letters. If you need help, reach out and we can help you draft an email or letter to your legislator.

  3. SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Sharing your school choice journey is the most important action that will have the greatest impact. Sharing your story comes in many forms. Get creative!

Have any questions? You can reach out to us by emailing info@oregonvirtualschools.org