Your Kid's Story Matters
Why Public Charter School Parents Need to Step Up to the Plate
Long story short: If you can read nothing else in this blog, call your state senator and tell them why your school matters to your child and your family.
Listen up, Pennsylvania public cyber charter school parents.
I know you're tired.
I know you're frustrated watching the same debates play out year after year in Harrisburg while your kid's education hangs in the balance.
But here's the thing – sitting on the sidelines isn't an option anymore.
The Game Has Changed
We've got 14 public cyber charter schools across Pennsylvania, and each one has thousands of stories that need to be heard. Not statistics. Not budget numbers. Not fancy PowerPoint presentations from lobbyists. Stories. Real stories about real kids whose lives have been changed by having educational options.
Your story matters more than any policy paper ever will.
Why Your School Can't Fight This Battle for You
Here's what every public cyber charter school parent needs to understand: your school is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
That means they're legally restricted from engaging in partisan political activity.
A nonprofit may not, for example, contribute to a political campaign or make public statements in favor of or against a candidate, and violating this can result in losing their tax-exempt status.
This isn't your school being lazy or uninvolved – it's the law. They can educate about policy issues, but they can't tell you who to vote for or how to lobby your representatives on specific legislation. That's on us, the parents.
The Real Fight Isn't Where You Think It Is
We're not fighting individual school districts here. The teachers in your local district aren't your enemy – they're trying to do right by kids just like we are.
The real opposition comes from well-funded private organizations: the school board associations, teachers' unions, and administrative groups that have millions of dollars and years of relationships in Harrisburg.
Yeah, there's the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, but they've been without a CEO for about a year now. There's talk of new groups forming, but nothing's going to be fully functional in time to help us this legislative session. The Commonwealth Foundation has put up a website to help us contact lawmakers, and that's a start, but honestly? This fight comes down to us.
Stop Making Excuses
I can already hear it: "But Jim, there are only 70,000 public cyber charter students compared to 1.8 million traditional public school students. How can we compete with their multi-million dollar lobbying machine?"
Here's the truth nobody wants to tell you: one authentic story from a parent whose kid found success in public cyber charter school is worth more than a dozen paid lobbyists making generic arguments.
State representative Joe D'Orsie is begging – literally begging – to hear from you.
They want to know how public cyber charter schools have helped your family, what challenges you've faced, and why educational choice matters to your community.
Your Story Is Your Superpower
Every single public cyber charter school family has a story. Maybe your kid was struggling in traditional school because of learning differences. Maybe your family needed flexibility because of military service, or medical issues, or just because the traditional model wasn't working. Maybe you live in a rural area where public cyber charter opened up opportunities your local district couldn't provide.
These aren't just feel-good anecdotes – they're the foundation of good policy. When lawmakers hear from real constituents about real problems that were solved by real solutions, that's when minds change and votes shift.
What You Need to Do Right Now
Stop waiting for someone else to save your kid's school.
Stop hoping the opposition will just go away.
Stop making excuses about why your voice doesn't matter.
Here's your game plan for this week:
Call your state senator Monday through Friday. Pick up the phone and call their office. Don't worry about having the perfect words – just tell them who you are, that you're a constituent, and that you want to talk about your child's public cyber charter school experience.
Follow up with an email. After you call, send an email with your story. Keep it personal. Tell them your kid's name, what grade they're in, maybe add a picture or short video and why public cyber charter school has made a difference for your family.
Visit their district office if you can. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation. Bring your kid if possible. Let your senator see the actual student they're making decisions about.
Be loud and be proud of your kids. That's it. Plain and simple. That's all anybody can ask of you.
You don't need to understand every line item in the state budget. You don't need to memorize education law or study funding formulas or worry about enrollment projections. Just be loud and proud about your child – why this school matters to them, why it matters to your family.
When they see that public cyber charter school families are real people from their own districts, not some abstract policy argument, that's when we start winning.
The Bottom Line
We're at a crossroads in Pennsylvania. The decisions being made in Harrisburg right now will determine whether your kid continues to have educational options or whether those options get regulated out of existence.
You can either be part of the solution, or you can explain to your kid someday why you chose to sit on the bench when their future was on the line.
The choice is yours. But choose quickly – the game is already underway, and we need every player we can get.