Guest Commentary: Responses to 'Don't Politicize Virtual Education'

Last week, Miami-Dade School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla wrote an opinion piece for the Miami Herald in which he said politics should not prevent the expansion of virtual education.
His position generated a lot of response.
Claudia Moris of Hialeah, Fla., wrote the Herald that, "virtual education seems like another development of our technological society that will further minimize the importance of social interaction. Diaz de la Portilla seems to forget that there are many opinions in this matter.
"I think supporters of this virtual 'education' have forgotten that they learned through traditional methods and that their lives were shaped by school experiences, good or bad. I realize that there is a crisis in our school system that top educators need to fix. A virtual classroom will not solve our children’s academic problems, but shroud them," Moris added.
Kathy Giurtino of Tavernier, Fla., wrote, "Renier Diaz de la Portilla uses the words 'choice' and 'choose' several times. Unfortunately, our legislators are not giving students a choice with regard to virtual classes. They are requiring students to take an online class in order to qualify for high-school graduation.
"Virtual classes are a wonderful tool and should be made available to all students as an option. But to require students to take at least one virtual class before graduating once again shows that elected officials live in a comfortable cocoon where they think everyone has the things that they take for granted," she added.
Click here to read the responses in their entirety.