PORTLAND (AP) — A company that wants to operate a full-time virtual charter school in Maine is under investigation in Florida over allegations that it used uncertified teachers and tried to cover it up.

The Florida Department of Education tells The Portland Press Herald that K12 Inc. of Herndon, Va., is under investigation by the department’s inspector general at the behest of the public school district in Seminole County.

K12 Inc. is one of two companies seeking to operate a virtual charter school in Maine. The taxpayer-financed online schools — where students access most or all lessons and teachers via a home computer — were made possible under the charter school law passed by the Legislature last year.

A K12 Inc. spokesman says the company is working closely with Florida investigators.