HARRISBURG, Pa., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Families for Public Cyber Schools (PA Families) today held its first-ever Capital Day on the Hill to thank state lawmakers for their support of public schools that educate 17,000 students across the state.

A full day of activities for parents and supporters includes meeting with their legislators to share stories and provide demonstrations of how public cyber schooling has enriched and improved the educational experience of their children.

"We believe we have a responsibility to give our children the best education possible," said PA Families President Jenny Bradmon. "Our Capital Day is evidence of our commitment to these innovative public schools, which have the ability and the flexibility to educate a range of students -- some with special needs -- who otherwise could not be accommodated by traditional public schools. We're here to show our appreciation to the members of the General Assembly who had the foresight to provide this opportunity for our children."

As a Pennsylvania builds the finest public cyber schools in the nation, PA Families is concerned cyber schools are being threatened with drastic funding cuts, which could close schools forever. In meetings with legislators, families made the following points:

* Our schools are public and open to everyone like any other public school. * Pennsylvania spends $7 billion a year on public education. Public cyber schools account for far less than even 1 percent of this total. In fact, of the nearly 2 million children that attend public schools, only about 17,000 go to public cyber schools. The fiscal impact of cybers is miniscule. * Public cybers is not home-schooling. Students spend time with their certified teacher everyday. * Public cyber schools aggressively organize a variety of activities, clubs and associations, which are available to students on a daily basis. * Public cyber schools fall under the same strict supervision as all other public schools and more. They repeatedly provide a great deal of information to record student progress to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) -- information which is public and open to all. As charter schools, they also must undergo an intensive re-certification process with PDE, something traditional districts do not. * Public cybers are the only schools in the state that gives poor inner- city students the same quality education as a student living in an affluent suburb -- and since it's a public school it is open to all families.

"As a family coalition, PA Families intends to continue the process of educating the public with the facts about public cyber schools," Bradmon said. "And the facts are clear -- Our schools are providing a tremendous return for thousands of students for a very small investment."

CONTACT: Jenny Bradmon, +1-724-366-8342, or genejen@atlanticbb.net, for
Pennsylvania Families for Public Cyber Schools