Miami-Dade School Board Votes To Cut Ties With K12 Virtual Learning Program

After a 13-hour meeting, the Miami-Dade School Board voted unanimously to discontinue their use of the K12 virtual online learning program, according to CBS 4 Miami on Thursday (September 10).

The meeting started Wednesday (September 9) night and ended around 3:21 a.m. Thursday.

Parents and teachers voiced their displeasure with K12's program, the administration and the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

"I don't know who approved this type of curriculum for our children in Dade County, but it's setting them up for failure. Please, please, please, let's do something that will work for everyone," one woman said in a Local 10 Wednesday newscast.

Local 10 added that the disruption and disorganization left teachers "scrambling" to approach online learning another way.

“We have so many problems, that I think it’s time that we abandon it,” Board Member Dr. Marta Perez said.

CBS 4 Miami reported that K12's CEO told Perez that the company "rushed to develop" the program.

"In a letter to the school board, K12’s CEO noted the six-week time frame was a challenge and wrote, 'The platform that supports students in grades six through twelve needed more work and clearly did not handle Miami-Dade’s requirements,'" according to the website.

The decision comes after several cyberattacks on the school systems last Monday (August 31). Authorities arrested a teen last Thursday in connection to the disruptions.

K-12 students in Miami-Dade County are using Zoom and Microsoft Team as of Thursday, according to CBS 4 Miami.

Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade Public Schools' Superintendant, said he felt responsible for the school year's trouble-ridden start. He added that he never signed the $15 million contract with K12.

“Ultimately, this was something that we believed was in the best interest of our students and teachers based on feedback that we got last year,” Carvalho said. “We trusted an entity that promised they could deliver on something that would live up to the expectations of our teachers, our students, and parents, after the Spring of 2020.”

Photo: Getty Images