Holly Bates, an eight-year-old Florida girl, has such bad allergies that being near nuts or nut-based products — or even being near someone who has recently eaten nuts — can trigger anaphylactic shock. With peanut peril ubiquitous, young Holly is not enrolled in a traditional public school; instead, she attends Florida Connections Academy, a full-time “virtual” school that she accesses from her home computer. Her mother, a former public school teacher, loves the program. “The curriculum is unbelievable,” she told the Tampa Tribune in 2007. “It would astound you, the progress these children make.” The Sunshine State is something of … Continue reading The Rise of Cyber-Schools