PENNSYLVANIA VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL

Annual Family Notice: Enrollee Wellness Checks, Attendance & Truancy, and Family Support Resources

Required annual notice under Pennsylvania School Code §1748.1-A, as amended by Act 55 of 2024 and Act 20 of 2026

Dear PA Virtual Families,

Pennsylvania law requires PA Virtual to share this notice with every family before your child's first day and again each year. It explains how we check in with your child weekly, what our attendance rules require, what happens if attendance or a wellness check is missed, and where to turn for support. This notice is being sent to the official PA Virtual parent/guardian and student email accounts on file, which serves as our record that your family received it. Please keep it for reference, the full Attendance Policy and Wellness Check Policy are hyperlinked as well.

1. Weekly Wellness Checks

Under state law, PA Virtual must ensure that every enrolled student is visibly seen and communicates in real time with a teacher, administrator, or other authorized staff member at least once during any week that has three or more instructional days.

A wellness check is met through any of the following:

• The student turning on their webcam during a scheduled live (synchronous) class;

• A real-time video check-in with a PA Virtual teacher, administrator, Family Support Coordinator (FSC), school counselor, school nurse, or other authorized staff member; or

• An in-person meeting or face-to-face school event.

If a wellness check is missed

PA Virtual will:

• Contact your family and attempt additional check-ins;

• Document every outreach attempt; and

• Involve the Family Support Department to address repeated missed checks through support and intervention.

In practice, that support and intervention generally looks like this:

1. Outreach begins within one school day, using at least two contact methods (phone, email, Blackboard message, or text), encouraging an immediate real-time check-in.

2. If we still haven't connected, we schedule a Wellness Review Conference — a supportive conversation with a teacher, Family Support Coordinator, counselor, nurse, or administrator to confirm your child is safe and well, complete the check, and work through whatever is getting in the way.

3. If concerns remain, your assigned Family Support Coordinator takes over personal, ongoing outreach and connects your family with additional support.

4. If your child still cannot be verified, PA Virtual will arrange an in-person wellness check, which may include local authorities where appropriate. Any concern about your child's health or safety is reported immediately, as required by law.

5. Once immediate concerns are resolved, your child may be referred to the Student Assistance Program (SAP) if academic, behavioral, attendance, or mental health support would help.

Repeated missed wellness checks may also result in required one-on-one video check-ins, additional staff-directed interventions, or other corrective action required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). PA Virtual keeps verification records for every wellness check, and PDE may review this documentation at any time. 

2. Daily & Class Attendance

To be considered “in attendance,” students must log in to Blackboard each school day (daily attendance) and either attend their required live classes or meet weekly asynchronous benchmarks (class attendance).

• Live (synchronous) classes: students must be visibly present on camera, as required by Act 47 of 2025, to be marked present. Camera off but logged in → coded NUE (Not on Camera/Unverified Engagement); not attending at all with no lawful excuse → coded UEX (Unexcused).

• Missing four or more live classes in one day counts as a full unexcused/unlawful daily absence for truancy purposes, unless a lawful excuse applies.

• Asynchronous students: instead of live class attendance, students must log in, engage with coursework, and complete all assigned weekly benchmarks (lessons, assignments, quizzes, discussions, projects, assessments, or required check-ins) assigned each week for each course.

• Camera-use accommodations are available through an IEP, 504 Plan, or administrative approval for documented medical, disability-related, or technology-related needs.

Reporting an absence

• Notify your Family Support Coordinator (FSC) or submit the absence excuse form by 8:30 a.m. the day of the absence. If we haven't heard from you, we'll follow up by automated call, personal call, text, and email at 10:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m.

• Excuses must be submitted within 3 school days of the absence, or the absence is recorded as unexcused/unlawful.

• Up to 10 parent-verified absence days are permitted per school year; beyond that, or for any illness of 3+ consecutive days, a physician's note is required.

• Technology issues: call the PA Virtual Technology Helpline first to get a ticket number — you'll need it when submitting your excuse, or the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Recognized excused absences (with documentation)

•      Death in the immediate family

•      Medical/dental appointments that can't be scheduled outside school hours (48 hours' notice to your FSC when possible)

•      Illness or injury (physician's note required at 3+ consecutive days)

•      Quarantine ordered by a health authority

•      Court or administrative proceedings where the student is a party or subpoenaed witness

•      Observance of a religious holiday (up to 36 hours/year)

•      Pre-approved educational trips or family educational trips (up to 2 per year, 10 days total, approved in advance)

•      Recovery from an accident, or a pre-approved college/postsecondary visit

Family emergencies are excused only in genuine, strictly-construed circumstances and do not permit irregular attendance.

3. Truancy — What Pennsylvania Law Requires

Pennsylvania law requires every student of compulsory school age to attend school regularly. Unexcused absences trigger the following, regardless of the reason attendance is slipping:

•      Truant (3 unlawful daily absences): PA Virtual notifies you in writing and invites your family to a School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) conference. A SAIP is developed whether or not the family participates, to identify barriers and build a plan back to regular attendance.

•      Habitually Truant (6 unlawful daily absences): PA Virtual must notify your county Children & Youth Services (CYS) agency or refer your child to a school- or community-based attendance improvement program, and continues/updates the SAIP. For a child under 15, PA Virtual may also file a truancy citation with the local magistrate.

•      While a student is habitually truant, Pennsylvania law prohibits transferring to another cyber charter school until they are no longer habitually truant, unless a magistrate determines the transfer is in the student's best interest.

•      A student accumulating 10 consecutive unexcused absences may be withdrawn from PA Virtual; if the student is of compulsory age, we provide an update to the county CYS agency.

If truancy continues after CYS involvement, the law allows for court penalties, which can include fines (up to $300 for a first offense), a required parenting program, community service, and — for a student who is convicted — suspension or delay of driving privileges. We share this so families understand what's at stake, not to alarm you. The SAIP process exists specifically to resolve attendance issues long before it reaches this point.

4. How to Reach Us

If anything is making it hard for your child to log in, stay on camera, or complete a wellness check — a tech issue, a health issue, housing instability, or something else at home — please tell us before it becomes a pattern. We would much rather help early.

• Your child's Family Support Coordinator (FSC) — your first call for absences, wellness check scheduling, and day-to-day support: FSC and Parent Ambassador contact information 

• Jason Fitzpatrick, Principal of Pupil Services — jfitzpatrick@pavcsk12.org, 484-680-7729

• Louri Fitzgerald, Director of Family Support — lfitzgerald@pavcsk12.org, 484-680-7936

• Crystal Widmann, Assistant Principal of Pupil Services & McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison (for families experiencing housing instability) — cwidmann@pavcs.us, 484-685-4625

• Jen Brodhag, Director of Parent Education and Engagement — jbrodhag@pavcs.us, 484-680-7971 

• School Nurse — Victoria Roache Lelli, Lead Nurse — vroachelelli@pavcsk12.org 

• PA Virtual Technology Helpline — 1-877-883-3653, 6:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Monday–Friday

• PA Virtual Main Office — 484-243-0000

Resources to Help Your Family Maintain School Attendance

PA Virtual and statewide Pennsylvania supports — keep this page handy

PA Virtual Supports (start here first)

• Family Support Coordinator (FSC) — your primary contact for anything getting in the way of attendance: scheduling, technology referrals, family stress, and connecting you to outside agencies.

• Parent Ambassador Team — led by the Director of Parent Education, this team includes regional Parent Coordinators, weekly Live Parent Learning Sessions with communication tips and organization/time-management strategies (recorded for later viewing), and the optional Parent Ambassador Mentor Program, which pairs your family with an experienced PA Virtual parent for year-round, one-on-one guidance. A great first stop for day-to-day coaching and support that helps keep attendance on track.  Parent Ambassador website.

• Technology Helpline — 1-877-883-3653 (6 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon–Fri) — free troubleshooting for devices, connectivity, and cameras; get a ticket number for any absence caused by a tech issue.

• School Counselor / School Nurse — short-term counseling, coping strategies, health-related attendance barriers, and referrals for ongoing care: PA Virtual School Nurse local Resources https://sites.google.com/pavcs.us/parent-ambassador-program/home

• Student Assistance Program (SAP) — a team-based process connecting students to school and community supports for academic, behavioral, attendance, or mental-health barriers. Parent/guardian involvement is always your right. PA Virtual SAP website and referral link: https://sites.google.com/a/pavcs.us/pavcs-attendance/resource-center/sap?authuser=0

• McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison, Crystal Widmann — 484-685-4625, cwidmann@pavcs.us — support and rights for students experiencing housing instability, which is a common attendance barrier.

• School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) conference — a collaborative, no-cost planning meeting with your FSC and school staff to identify barriers and agree on a path back to regular attendance.

Pennsylvania Statewide Resources

• PA Department of Education, Office for Safe Schools — statewide truancy-prevention resources and the Pennsylvania School Attendance Improvement and Truancy Reduction Toolkit. 717-787-4417
  https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/resources/Pages/default.aspx

• Education Law Center – PA (ELC-PA) — free annual "Back to School Guide" and truancy/attendance FAQs explaining your family's rights. https://www.elc-pa.org/2025-26-back-to-school-guide-for-pennsylvania-public-school-students-families-and-advocates/

• PALawHelp.org — Truancy and School Attendance — plain-language legal information on truancy, compulsory attendance, and your rights at an attendance hearing.
  https://www.palawhelp.org/issues/education/truancy-and-school-attendance

• PA County Children & Youth Directory — look up your county's Children & Youth Services agency; a support resource for transportation, housing, and basic-needs help, not only an enforcement contact.
  https://www.humanservices.dhs.pa.gov/human_service_provider_directory/

• PA 211 — dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or visit the site for free, confidential help finding food, housing, utility, childcare, and transportation assistance in your area.
  https://www.pa211.org/

• PA Association of Intermediate Units — Find Your IU — look up your local Intermediate Unit for additional educational and family support services.
  https://www.paiu.org/Find-an-IU2

You are never alone in your child’s educational journey. If attendance or wellness checks become difficult for any reason, reach out to your Family Support Coordinator, we would rather solve the problem with you than send a reminder about it.

This notice was sent to the official PA Virtual-issued parent/guardian and student email accounts on file as PA Virtual's record of annual delivery under Act 20. If your family did not receive this notice at those addresses, or needs it in an alternate language or format, please contact your Family Support Coordinator.