Bill Allowing Children of Military Personnel to Enroll in PA Cyber Schools Approved by Committee
Current law prevents children of parents called to out-of-state active military duty from enrolling.

Harrisburg – Legislation sponsored by state Sen. John Pippy (R-37) to allow children of military personnel to enroll in a Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School was approved by the Senate Education Committee today.

The committee, chaired by Sen. James Rhoades (R-29), approved Senate Bill 1281, which allows a child whose parents have been called or ordered to active military duty to enroll in a Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. Presently, Pippy said, if a military family is stationed in another state and owns a residence in Pennsylvania their child is not eligible to attend a cyber charter school.

The legislation designates that if a child’s parents own a residence in the school district that child will be considered a resident of the district.

“There are 20,000 students enrolled in cyber charter schools throughout Pennsylvania, but I was surprised to hear from a military family in Allegheny County who was told they couldn’t enroll,” said Pippy. “The father was in the Air Force and stationed in another state, and the law prevented them from enrolling their children in a cyber charter school. That’s the last thing you want to do to a family that is already sacrificing so much, and passage of this bipartisan legislation will remove this obstacle.”

“If the parents have a residence in Pennsylvania and pay property taxes for support of Pennsylvania schools, they should be entitled to a Pennsylvania public education for their children,” said Dr. Nick Trombetta,

CEO of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. “Senate Bill 1281 will correct this situation. The sacrifices our military families make in the service of our country should not include their children’s education.”

Senate Bill 1281 was sent to the full Senate for consideration.

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Bill Allowing Children of Military Personnel to Enroll in PA Cyber Schools Approved by Committee Current law prevents children of parents called to out-of-state active military duty from enrolling.

Bill Allowing Children of Military Personnel to Enroll in PA Cyber Schools Approved by Committee
Current law prevents children of parents called to out-of-state active military duty from enrolling.