The reasons parents chose charter schools over traditional schools for their children are as different as each student. Some parents describe the move to a charter school as risky. Others maintain they can't bolt from their neighborhood public schools fast enough.
Some students see charter schools as an opportunity to learn in an innovative environment.
For others, the alternative schooling may offer a second chance to earn their high school diplomas. During the 1996-97 school year, three elementary schools and six high school charters operated in the Tucson area. One of the schools offered middle school education. School officials told her that the boy, who complained of a headache and stomachache every morning, had attention deficit disorder. A doctor later said that was untrue.