Heather – Mom From Brentwood, PA

A cyber charter school has always been the right choice for us. My son, a first grader at PA Cyber, scored far above his peers on benchmark testing in his public school kindergarten class, but the school just gave him busywork and wouldn’t test him for gifted education until he was in third grade. 

Shortly after that experience, we moved to PA Cyber, which administered gifted testing in first grade. Because it did so, next year my son will be able to complete second and third grades in one year.

Not only does my son have the opportunity for an academic challenge and individualized learning — instead of being one of 30 kids fighting for attention in his previous classroom — but online schooling also gives him the chance to get individualized learning from anywhere. That became crucial for us when my husband, who is a wounded veteran, had to go to California for a monthlong intensive therapy program. Our family was able to go together without disruption to our son's education. The flexibility to maintain family time is important today.

That family involvement is key to success at a cyber school. Parents get involved in their children’s education, and teachers are in touch with us on a consistent basis. Working as a team helps students learn at their own pace in different subjects based on their skill sets.

I can’t imagine losing the ability to make this choice for our family. As traditional schools struggle to provide an online education in these challenging times, I am grateful that my son can maintain some normalcy and continue his cyber education without missing a beat. Every parent should have the right to choose that opportunity for their child.