Chicopee School Committee votes to raise virtual school cap from 1% to 2%

The Chicopee School Committee voted unanimously Jan. 22 to raise the district’s allowable enrollment in Massachusetts virtual schools from 1 percent to 2 percent, a change administrators said would give more students an option when in-person attendance is prevented by medical or mental-health issues.

Assistant Superintendent Cruiser told the committee the district is requesting the change to “help combat our chronic absentee problem,” adding that some students need an alternative so they can graduate. “We are asking to increase this cap to give us that flexibility for some students who need an alternative in order to get their education, either temporarily or for the duration of their high school,” Cruiser said.

The committee’s vote follows a two-year-old policy capping virtual enrollment at 1 percent. Administrators said demand has exceeded the cap at times: Cruiser said the district’s enrollment in virtual programs was about 0.89 percent at the most recent count but that earlier in the year it hovered higher and a number of families had been turned away.

Superintendent Dr. Ware provided additional figures and budget context, saying a 1 percentage-point increase would amount to roughly 68 additional seats and that the total number of Chicopee students who could access the virtual option would rise to about 136. Ware also warned of a fiscal impact: “There is a cost to it. It can be about $10,000 per student,” Ware said, and said the district will need to monitor budget effects as enrollment changes.

Committee members asked how part‑time participation would be handled; Cruiser clarified the virtual program is full time: “It’s a full time school. It’s not part time. It’s not tutoring.” Members also asked whether students enrolled in the virtual schools count against Chicopee’s attendance rates; Cruiser said the virtual schools are Massachusetts public schools and students enrolled there are removed from Chicopee’s rolls and therefore do not count as absent from Chicopee schools.

Committee member Jay asked how many students had been denied access because of the cap; Cruiser said she tracked roughly 30 families who reached out and were affected during the busiest period, though she cautioned there could have been more callers who did not follow through.

School Committee member Susan shared a local example of a student who used the virtual option during severe anxiety, later returned to in‑person school and participated actively as a senior, saying the virtual program “did her a lot of good.”

After discussion, a committee member moved to increase the cap to 2 percent; the motion carried unanimously by voice vote with 11 in favor and 1 member absent. The committee did not specify the motion’s maker in the public record.

The committee and administrators said increasing the cap would provide flexibility for students who cannot attend in‑person school while noting the district must watch fiscal and capacity constraints: the two Massachusetts virtual schools that accept Chicopee students maintain their own caps and wait lists, so opening Chicopee’s cap does not automatically guarantee seats for all students who seek them.

The committee’s action updates the local application of the Commonwealth virtual-school limit and directs staff to implement the change within existing procedures for enrollment and wait‑list management.