NC judge blocks virtual charter school from opening

Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones said that the State Board of Education has the sole discretion on approving charter schools in North Carolina and had decided that it wasn't accepting any applications for virtual charter schools for 2012-13.

N.C. Learns was seeking to open the North Carolina Virtual Academy, which had been granted a charter by the Cabarrus County Board of Education but would be open to students across the state. An administrative law judge ruled last month that the school could start enrolling students this fall.

The State Board of Education appealed that ruling, saying it wanted to study virtual schools and develop standards and policies before approving a virtual charter school.