Parents hope to save virtual school

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Parents gathered in Greenfield hoping to save the state's only virtual school.

It is the first of its kind in the state and the Massachusetts Virtual Academy was just what parents like Sheila Rose needed for her children.

Her son who has autism struggled in a traditional school and she says her daughter was bullied.

"First two weeks of school for a girl who could not wait to get to big girl school was knocked down the stairs by a fifth grader and it just went down hill from there,” Sheila Rose said.

However, both thrived in the virtual school format.

"It’s truly the individual they can take their time if there's something that they are struggling with they have all the time in the world to learn and grasp and really get a hold of it,” Rose continued.

Come this summer their school will close its virtual doors.

"As a teacher myself I felt this was a very good curriculum so I'm very disappointed that its now coming to a rapid and abrupt conclusion,” Michelle Defosses of Waltham said.

A change in state law shifted oversight of virtual schools from local districts to the state.

The chair of the Greenfield School Committee which runs the Massachusetts Virtual Academy said the change made it impractical to run the school anymore.

"I understand the concern that the parents have, I have special needs students myself and I know how hard it can be so we will absolutely work with them to talk to DESI and state legislators but the fix has to come at the legislative level."

The state does plan on opening up 10 state-run virtual schools in the years to come.

But in the meantime the 450 students who attended this one are left without a school.

Roy Defosses of Waltham said, “I think that was concern us the most is the uncertainly not knowing what's going to happen with my daughter, we really don't want to put her back in the public school system

The first few state virtual schools are expected to open in the 2014-15 school year.