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Supporters of Largest Ohio Online School Rally at Statehouse

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Hundreds of supporters of Ohio’s largest online charter school rallied at the Statehouse to let state officials know they’re happy with the education it provides.

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow is in a legal dispute with the Ohio Department of Education over attendance-tracking practices used to determine state funding.

Ohio’s state auditor also ordered a statewide examination of cyber schools’ data collection practices after finding ECOT lacked adequate systems to track students’ learning time.

Founder Bill Lager told the cheering crowd Tuesday: “Quality education is measured in competency and mastery, not in hours and minutes.”

Parents and children who dominated the crowd brandished signs saying, “Support Education Choice” and “#WeAreECOT.”

The sign of a protester dressed in a bear costume read, “Be Afraid of (Education Secretary Betsy) Devos and ECOT.”