ustxtxb_obs_2008_10_31_50_00007-00000_000.pdf

Rola Nava international Headquarters Come Visit us for LUNCH! In addition to our organic coffee, pizzas, empanadas, pastries and pies, we now prepare made to order sandwiches, salads, and even black bean gazpacho. 3601 S. Congress oft E. Alpine Penn Field under the water tower check our site for monthly calendar inl Freedom Network, said the group takes the position that parents have the right to teach their children anything they please. But he’s troubled by the role of K12 Inc., a publicly held, homeschooling business cofounded by Bill Bennett, the conservative former education secretary, that sells curricula to virtual schools, including the Texas Virtual Academy. Though the state of Texas requires that each student “knows the theory of biological evolution:’ K12 makes plain on its Web site that it considers the theory optional. “K12 sells its curriculum to a taxpayer-funded public school and then tells users to just ignore parts of the curriculum they don’t like or agree with,” Quinn said. “So the company promotes educational malpractice for profit, and taxpayers pay for it:’ The Texas Education Agency seems unconcerned. In August, Commissioner Robert Scott elected to double the virtual school’s enrollment from 750 to 1,500 students, despite objections from dozens of school districts concerned that defections would hurt their finances. TEA spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe said the virtual academy is no different from any other public school in that parents may shield their children from objectionable material. They should do so, however, with the understanding that they could be tested on the material later, she added. Forrest Wilder OCTOBER 31, 2008 THE TEXAS OBSERVER 7