Mass. Virtual Academy shutting down

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A virtual school in Greenfield is shutting down on J une 30th.

The closing will force the 470 students of the Massachusetts Virtual Academy to get an education somewhere else.

It's the state's first K-12 virtual school, and was founded three years ago.

22News asked people if they think online schools are a good idea, or a bad one.

"My concern is that there's no guarantee, if it's all online, that the person who's completing the work is the actual person earning the grade,” said Dondi Fiorentino of Chicopee. “I think face to face periodically has to be a part of any online course.”

Edmund James of Springfield said, “You need that one on one interaction with professors and it’ll just ensure that the quality is a lot better.”

Mayor William Martin said that the department of elementary and secondary education does not support Greenfield's school, and he believes the state should take up the responsibility of running a virtual school program.