When families speak up, people listen.

Over the past several months, many of our Learning Coaches and supporters reached out to their legislators, shared their stories, and advocated for educational choice in Pennsylvania. Thanks to those efforts—and the work of many lawmakers who listened—the Commonwealth budget has been approved without singling out cyber charter schools. That means CPDLF can continue focusing on what matters most: serving learners and supporting families.

Several new laws and requirements will take effect this school year, and we're excited to share that many of these changes are positive for our families.

One Residency Verification Per Year
One of the biggest wins for cyber families is a significant reduction in paperwork. Beginning this school year, cyber families will only complete one residency verification each year—AND only with CPDLF. We'll take care of the reporting requirements to school districts behind the scenes, making the process much simpler and less time-consuming for our families.

Wellness Checks for All Cyber Learners
Wellness checks are now required for every cyber school in Pennsylvania, including district cyber programs. CPDLF has long believed that checking in on the well-being of our learners is an important part of supporting their success, and we've already made wellness checks part of our regular practice. We're pleased to see this expectation now applies equally to all cyber schools across the Commonwealth. The new law also includes stronger follow-up requirements when wellness checks cannot be completed.

Preparing Learners for Life After Graduation
All high school learners are now required to complete instruction in Personal Financial Literacy before graduation. From budgeting and credit to saving and responsible financial decision-making, this requirement is designed to equip learners with practical skills they'll use long after they receive their diploma. We'll reveal more details on what you can expect as this gets finalized.

Weekly Benchmarks Coming for 2026-2027
You'll also hear more in the coming weeks about Weekly Benchmarks. These are not intended to create extra work for families. Instead, they establish a regular rhythm of submitting course assignments each week. State law now connects these submissions to attendance, so assignments completed by the weekly deadline will help document learner participation. We'll provide detailed guidance before implementation so every family knows exactly what to expect.

Improved Truancy Laws Support Families
Pennsylvania also updated its truancy laws to better recognize the unique circumstances families face. Habitually truant learners may now transfer to a cyber charter school when it's in their best interest. Parents have also been given rights throughout the truancy process, including the ability to request hearings with a judge, receive information about those hearings, and have judges consider factors beyond attendance and grades—such as student safety, health, family support, and other circumstances that affect academic success. While most CPDLF families will never need these protections, we're grateful they're available for families searching for a better educational fit.

Thank you to our supportive legislators

Finally, we'd like to express our sincere appreciation to the legislators who championed these important efforts. Thank you to Representative Joe D'Orsie and Senator Jarrett Coleman for their leadership on residency verification reform; Representative Barbara Gleim and Senator Dawn Keefer for their work on student attendance and truancy reforms; Senate Republican leaders Kim Ward, Joe Pittman, and Scott Martin for their efforts to preserve funding that allows cyber charter schools to continue serving Pennsylvania families; Senators Rosemary Brown, Judy Ward and Representative Andrea Verobish for meeting with us to learn our story; and to every legislator who continues to support educational choice across the Commonwealth.

Most importantly, THANK YOU! Your emails, phone calls, meetings, and willingness to share your family's story helped make a difference. Together, we're building a stronger future for every CPDLF learner.

Did you know some of life's greatest opportunities—and greatest challenges—involve other people?

At CPDLF, we believe that building strong relationships is just as important as building strong academic skills. Whether our graduates are working with classmates today or coworkers, neighbors, friends, and family members in the future, the ability to connect with others is essential for success.

A CPDLF graduate:
• Works effectively in teams
• Demonstrates empathy
• Resolves conflict constructively
• Adapts to change

No matter where life leads, our graduates will collaborate with people who have different experiences, perspectives, and ideas. Learning how to work as part of a team means contributing their own strengths while respecting the strengths of others. It also means understanding that the best solutions are often built together.

Empathy plays an important role in every relationship. Taking time to understand another person's perspective helps build trust, strengthen communication, and create a culture where everyone feels valued. These skills benefit learners not only in school, but throughout their personal and professional lives.

Disagreements are a natural part of life, but they don't have to become barriers. Learning to resolve conflict constructively teaches learners how to communicate respectfully, seek common ground, and move forward with understanding. These are skills that build stronger friendships, healthier workplaces, and more connected communities.

Life is also full of change. New opportunities, unexpected challenges, and shifting circumstances require flexibility and resilience. By learning to adapt with confidence, our graduates are better prepared to embrace change rather than fear it.

The Portrait of a Graduate helps guide our decisions because education is about more than individual achievement. We want every learner to leave CPDLF with the relationship skills to collaborate, communicate, and care for others—building stronger teams, stronger communities, and stronger futures wherever life takes them.