This virtual school has run into stormy weather even before it could take off. Aimed at providing access to traditional education in an online format for home-schooled children in the Campbell County School District, the school faces uncertainty because of funding problems.

The Wyoming Department of Education claims it does not have the power to authorize the school, let alone recommend it for state funding. Mary Kay Hill, director of the administration unit at the department, says that there are currently no rules and regulations that govern the establishment of virtual schools. It is hard to reach a consensus as to what exactly constitutes an online school, she adds.

While Assistant Superintendent of the school district, Ed Weber, is hopeful that the virtual school will become a reality in September or early October, Hill is not too confident that it will happen anytime in the near future. The school’s future depends on the outcome of a legal, financial and instructional investigation by a task force, and approval from the Legislature, according to Hill.

K-6 students who have been taught at home would have benefited from the virtual school, if it had been up and running by now. The district had planned to offer seven online courses, each of which could be learned with the help of parents and certified teachers.