Despite this victory, dark forces continue to challenge our efforts to protect a parent's right to select the best education for their child's needs. We urge you to remain involved, informed, and ready to take action again next year.
Read MoreThe Idaho Senate will not be advancing SB1188. That means this deeply flawed bill — which threatened to strip parents of their online school choices and throw tens of thousands of students into uncertainty — is officially dead.
This is a huge win for:
Parents who chose online learning for their kids and refused to be silenced.
Educators and school leaders who spoke out, mobilized families, and defended programs that are working.
And most of all — for the 30,000+ Idaho students who rely on virtual education options across the state.
SB1188 would have reversed last year’s conservative reforms, expanded government bureaucracy, and forced thriving programs to seek uncertain approval from a state commission that wasn’t prepared to take them on.
It was rushed, it was wrong — and you helped stop it.
This fight exposed something bigger: there are powerful forces working to shut down online learning and keep parents out of the conversation. This cannot — and will not — happen on our watch.
We are already preparing for next session. We will retool, organize earlier, and come back stronger than ever to defend school choice and virtual education.
This is a win for families. And we have you to thank.
#SchoolChoiceWins #NoOnSB1188 #VirtualEducationVictory #ThankYouIdaho
Yesterday's hearing on SB1188 made one thing painfully clear: this is a deeply flawed and dangerous bill. It must be killed in the 14th Order — not amended.
We learned directly from the Director of Idaho Home Learning Academy (IHLA) — the very school targeted by this bill — that there are no guarantees they will be approved by the Charter Commission. In fact, if this bill passes, IHLA and many other district-run online programs will be forced to compete for approval, with no certainty their applications will be accepted.
The IHLA director warned that leaving their current district status without a guaranteed charter approval puts thousands of students at risk, especially rural and medically fragile children. If the Charter Commission says no, what happens to those students?
This bill doesn’t solve a problem — it creates a massive one.
No guarantees for schools: Charter Commission approval is not automatic, and competition will be fierce.
Removes parent choice: Virtual students would lose cross-district enrollment options that in-person students still have.
Rolls back Governor Little's conservative reforms: The bill revives bureaucracy and state micromanagement — exactly what we eliminated just last year.
Unfunded mandate: The Charter Commission will need a contracts expert, a virtual oversight team, and a new system — none of which exist today.
No leadership at the Commission: They have no permanent director, just lost their finance officer, and are in no position to expand.
The Senate could act as soon as tomorrow to amend or vote on SB1188 in the 14th Order. We cannot let this bill move forward.
📢 Tell your Senator: Kill SB1188. Do not amend it.
🔗 Contact the full Senate here: https://www.idchartercoalition.org/news/2025/3/22/virtual-school-parent-contact-list-for-sb-1176-and-its-even-worse-replacement-bill-tba
We’re in the final hours. Make your voice heard before it’s too late.
#NoOnSB1188 #ProtectSchoolChoice #LetParentsChoose
While the world moves forward, Idaho is turning its back on 30,000 students.
On Monday, the Idaho Legislature introduced Senate Bill 1188 — a replacement for SB1176 that may be even worse than the original.
Let’s be clear:
This bill is a direct attack on Idaho’s 30,000 virtual students.
If you’re a family that chose virtual education — through a district-run online program, a virtual public charter school, or even a homeschool model built on digital learning — this bill changes everything. And not for the better.
It bans open enrollment across district lines for students attending a virtual program
It forces families to stay in-district for online school, even though they can cross district lines for in-person school
It requires virtual schools to apply to the charter commission to serve out-of-district students — a grueling, uncertain process with no guarantees
It hands power to unelected bureaucrats, stripping decision-making from local school boards and parents
It reverses the education reforms passed in 2024 that were designed to increase school choice and cut red tape
If you choose digital learning, your rights don’t count.
That’s the message families across the state are hearing. We’ve already heard from multiple school leaders:
“This is a death blow to our school.”
“We are very concerned for our students and their families.”
Districts are scrambling. Virtual school leaders are trying to understand what happens next. And thousands of families are left wondering where their children will go to school next fall.
Closed schools
Fewer options for parents
Thousands of displaced students
A rollback of educational innovation while the rest of the country moves forward
While other states expand digital access, career-tech integration, and hybrid learning, Idaho is choosing more red tape, less flexibility, and fewer choices for families.
This bill is an insult to every parent who made the bold decision to choose something different — something that works.
It tells them:
We don’t trust you. And we don’t care what your child needs.
📣 Contact the bill sponsors directly:
Senator Dave Lent
📧 dlent@senate.idaho.gov
📞 (208) 332-1313
Representative Sonia Galaviz
📧 sgalaviz@house.idaho.gov
📞 (208) 332-1083
Ask them why they are sponsoring a bill that destabilizes virtual education and displaces thousands of students. Tell them your story.
👉 Read the full bill here: HERE
👉 Contact your own lawmakers and the Senate Education Committee: HERE
Don’t let them destroy what you chose.
This is your child. Your voice. Your fight.
Here’s the bill: S 1176
If you're a parent who made the courageous, intentional decision to choose virtual education for your child — you're not alone. Thousands of families across Idaho have walked that same path.
Some of us chose virtual charter schools. Others turned to district-run online programs. A few built homeschool routines around digital tools. But what unites us is this:
We didn’t choose the default.
We chose what worked best for our child.
Now, Senator Dave Lent (R–Idaho Falls) and Representative Sonia Galaviz (D–Boise) are pushing legislation that says they know better than you. Senate Bill 1176, and a secret replacement bill now being drafted, would dismantle everything parents and local leaders fought so hard to build.
This isn’t reform. It’s punishment.
It’s a message to families who chose differently:
Sit down, shut up, and get back in line.
And let’s be clear — the Public Charter School Commission that would take over oversight? It’s been through five executive directors in two years and still doesn’t have stable leadership. It’s not prepared. And it doesn’t care about your child’s unique learning needs.
This is about whether we still believe parents are capable of making the best decisions for their children.
Governor Brad Little believed that when he signed the 2024 charter school reform package into law — reforms that increased local control and expanded school choice.
Now those gains are under attack.
Who should decide your child’s education?
You?
Your local school board?
Or a group of unelected bureaucrats in Boise who’ve never set foot in your home, met your child, or understood your family’s needs?
Lawmakers need to hear your story.
Click below to contact your senator and the Senate Education Committee. Tell them:
You can also email your concerns directly to bill sponsors:
Senator Dave Lent – dlent@senate.idaho.gov
Rep. Lori Galaviz – lgalaviz@house.idaho.gov
Our message is simple:
If you don’t trust parents, you don’t belong in public office.
Let’s stop S1176 — and any version of it — now.
