Charter leaders send letter to state Education Department offering to consult with schools on best practices to serve students via online education
HARRISBURG (March 10, 2020) – Public cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania, Monday, sent a letter to the state Department of Education offering support, professional development and consultation to any public brick-and-mortar school seeking to offer online education services to students during this time of public health concern.
“The situation with the Coronavirus is rapidly evolving. We recognize that this emergent situation poses real challenges that stress the ability for students, faculty, staff and families to focus on work and studies,” the letter states.
The public cyber charter schools said providing high-quality education in light of the COVID-19 public health concern raises logistical and financial challenges. Schools need to plan for the possibility of a remote learning option for students, staff and families. Cyber charter schools, which educate more than 37,000 students in Pennsylvania, can offer best practices for traditional schools considering online learning options.
“It is our goal to work in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and our public school colleagues to develop and implement opportunities to learn best practices in the area of cyber education, which will allow for the continuation of schooling for students of all ages and academic abilities,” the letter states.
The letter was signed by leaders of the following schools: 21st Century Cyber Charter School, Achievement House Cyber Charter School, Agora Cyber Charter School, ASPIRA of PA, Central PA Digital Learning Foundation, Commonwealth Charter Academy, Esperanza Cyber Charter School, Insight PA Cyber Charter School, PA Cyber Charter School, PA Distance Learning Charter School, PA Leadership Charter School, PA Virtual Charter School, Reach Cyber Charter School, and SusQ-Cyber Charter School.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
###
For more information or to schedule an interview with a cyber charter official, contact Doug Wessels (dwessels@pavcsk12.org) at 484-680-7722 or Jess Hickernell (j.hickernell@pacharters.org) at 717-371-8155.
