PA Virtual Policy

If a student is absent for three (3) cumulative unexcused/unlawful days throughout the school year without a valid excuse, the student will be considered "truant." After six (6) cumulative unexcused/unlawful absences the student is considered "Habitually Truant" and PA Virtual is required to open a case with the student's county and youth services. 

There are many ways to NOT be truant—it’s easy! Here are some surefire ways to make your child’s presence or absence known:

1. Make logging into Blackboard part of your morning routine. This way, Blackboard is the very first place you check in for the day…it really becomes your homeroom! Once you log into Blackboard, you will see a login confirmation that contains your student's username and current date.

2. Check your parent email account each afternoon. PA Virtual will inform you when your student(s) do not login to Blackboard early in the afternoon each school day.

3. If you have a technical problem and cannot log into Blackboard, you must call or e-mail your Family Support Coordinator (FSC) the same day of the issue. If we don’t know about the problem, we can’t help fix it.

4. If your child will be absent from school but you don’t know about it in advance, call or e-mail your FSC the same school day. If your child is sick, or there is a family emergency, your FSC will be there to support you.

5. If your child is going to be absent for three days, a doctor’s note is required. Your FSC will inform your student’s teachers for you and help your child get re-situated and back into the rhythm of school at the appropriate time.

6. If you are observing a religious holiday, please let your FSC know in advance. All religious holidays are considered excused absences, but we need to know which holidays you are planning on observing.

7. Students are required to login to Blackboard until the final day of school, listed on the school calendar for the current school year.

8. If you choose to withdraw from PA Virtual, please remember to contact your school's project manager. You must complete the proper documentation to remove your student from the active rolls. PA Virtual will continue to monitor your student's attendance until all documentation has been properly completed.

9. A maximum of 10 days of absences verified by parental notification may be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond 10 cumulative days require an excuse from a physician.

10. Educational Trips: An absence may be excused when it is demonstrated that the purpose of the absence is to take advantage of a valid educational opportunity. Approval for such an absence must be granted prior to the absence in accordance with the Student Educational Leave of Absence policy.

11. Your child’s attendance at school is a collaborative effort by you, the academic coach, your child, and your FSC. Following this handy guide is a great way to stay on track with your family’s school attendance!

Attendance—Legal Requirements

 Section 13-1301 of the Public School Code Establishes the right for students in Pennsylvania to attend school. Students between the ages of 6 and 21 years who are residents of any school district and are of “school age” are entitled to a public education.  Furthermore, “compulsory school age” is defined in Section 13-1326 of the Public School Code as “...the period of a child’s life from the time the child’s parents elect to have the child enter school, which shall not be later than the age of eight (8) years, until the age of seventeen (17) years or graduation from an accredited high school.

Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School expects students to attend school each day by logging into Blackboard and attending their scheduled synchronous classes.  Good attendance is essential if students are to achieve and reach their potential.  

Each day is important for learning.  Parents are required to ensure their student maintains good attendance. Students are expected to attend school each day.  When a student misses school the parent needs to notify the Family Support Coordinator or fill out the absence form(at the top right of this webpage). Daily school and class attendance is an absolute necessity for satisfactory pupil progress and is required by Pennsylvania School Law.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has adopted the following mandatory regulation concerning school attendance; each student in grades 1-6 must attend school for a minimum of 900 hours per school year, or students in grades 7-12 must complete 990 hours of instruction as the equivalent of 180 days requirement.  Every PA Virtual student must fulfill this regulation by logging 900 (or 990 if in grades 7-12) total hours of instruction by the end of the academic year. 

The family support coordinator will review and report the student’s attendance daily.  If the student is absent for more than one day, the parent must contact the FSC and indicate the nature of the absence and the period of time the student is unavailable.  If the student is absent for more than three days due to illness a physicians note is required. Also, the student’s FSC must be notified if the student is not going to log on for an extended period of time.  The school may, at its discretion, consider the student truant if the FSC is not properly notified, or if the reason for the absence is unexcused/unlawful.  Failure to comply with the attendance requirements will result in the initiation of a county children and youth case and if necessary, truancy proceedings against the parent and/or student and/or removal from the school’s rolls.

Students who are absent from a school for 10 consecutive unlawful school days shall be dropped from the active membership roll unless the school is provided with evidence the absence is legal.