SB 2441

Present law authorizes the commissioner of education to reinstitute an enrollment cap or order the closure of a public virtual school that is identified as a priority school or demonstrates student achievement growth at a level of "significantly below exp ectations"" for any three consecutive years of the school's operation, as represented by the TVAAS. This bill makes the closure of a public virtual school mandatory under such circumstances and implements a process for such school's closure, which would t a ke effect at the end of the school year in which the commissioner directs the LEA to close the virtual school and includes parental notification, a moratorium on new student enrollment, and a prohibition against withholding student records. If a virtual school is closed upon direction of the commissioner, or if the LEA elects to close the virtual school, then this bill requires that the TISA payments for the LEA that established the school exclude a student who was a member in the virtual s chool the prior year who did not remain a member in the LEA following the closure of the virtual school. Present law authorizes an LEA to contract for services with nonprofit and for-profit providers for the operation and management of a virtual school. This bill adds the following with regard to such contracts: (1) A provider that has contracted with an LEA to operate or manage a virtual school that is closed pursuant to this bill is prohibited from operating a new virtual school in this state for a period of five consecutive years immediately following the ye ar of the school's closure; (2) The department shall maintain and publish on the department's website a list of providers that are currently ineligible to contract for the operation and management of a new virtual school and a list of providers that were formerly ineligible to so contract but are now eligible. This bill also adds that, if a nonprofit or for-profit entity provides services to more than one virtual school that is operating in this state at the time that one or more of the virtual schools closes, then the nonprofit or for-profit entity may contin ue to provide services to the virtual school or virtual schools that do not meet the criteria for closure and that are in operation at the time of the other virtual school's closure. ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2441, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 removes the requirement that the commissioner must direct the closure of a virtual school that is not meeting the requirements for continued operation. Under this amendment, an LEA will be required to close a virtual school not meeting the r equirements for continued operation. This amendment removes authorization for an LEA that closes a virtual school to establish a new virtual school. This amendment removes the provision of this bill that prohibits a provider who operated a virtual school that was closed from operating a new virtual school for five years. This amendment requires the department of education to maintain and publish on the department's website a list of providers that operated or managed a virtual school that was closed for not meeting the requirements for continued operation. ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2441 FOR HOUSE BILL 2420, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2441, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 incorporates the provisions of Senate Amendment #1 and adds the following: (1) Specifies that the intervention options for virtual schools required by this bill will apply to a virtual school that is identified as a priority school beginning with the first priority school list released after the 2025 priority school list, or t hat has demonstrated school composite level student achievement growth at a level of ""significantly below expectations"" for any three-consecutive-year period beginning with the 2025-2026 school year; and (2) Specifies that the requirements for parental notification of a low-performing virtual school will apply to a virtual school that attains a school composite level student achievement growth score of ""significantly below expectations"" for any two-cons ecutive-year period beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, or that is identified as being among the bottom 10% of schools in overall achievement; and (3) Prohibits a virtual school for which parental notification is required under (2) from enrolling new students in the current or upcoming school year. ON APRIL 16, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #1."