Parents gamble on virtual schools amid coronavirus closures. Who stands to gain?

SEATTLE — The Riccitti family had a small window of time to make the switch. So they did.When Washington schools closed in mid-March, Colleen Riccitti decided to withdraw her three children from the Kent School District. Her children’s teachers had no immediate plan to continue instruction, Riccitti said, calling the moment “chaotic at best.”She soon found an alternative in Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA), one of the state’s largest public virtual schools — and one that was accepting new students, even in the middle of the school year. And like other public schools, enrollment was free.“It...

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