2021 Public Hearing Notice
Notice of Hearing Regarding Cyber Charter School Application
Notice is hereby given that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has scheduled four dates for public hearings regarding a cyber charter school applications that it received on or before October 1, 2021. The hearings will be held on:
- November 3, 2021; Cancelled
- November 4, 2021; Cancelled
- November 9, 2021; Cancelled
- November 18 , 2021
The hearings will take place in Heritage Room A on the lobby level of 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Login information to access the hearing virtually will be posted to PDE's Division of Charter School's Applications webpage.
The hearings pertain to applicants seeking to operate a new cyber charter school beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. The purpose of the hearings is to gather information from applicants about the proposed cyber charter school as well as receive comments from interested individuals regarding any application. The names of the applicants, copies of the applications, and a listing of the dates and times scheduled for the hearings on each application can be viewed on PDE's website on or before September 6, 2021, at www.education.pa.gov.
Individuals who wish to provide comments on an application during the hearing must provide a copy of their written comments to PDE and the applicant on or before October 25, 2021. Comments provided by this deadline and presented at the hearing will become part of the certified record. Failure to comply with this deadline will preclude the individual from providing comments at the hearings. Verbal comments may be limited based on the number of individuals requesting time to provide comments, and may be limited if the comments are duplicative or repetitive of another individual's comments. Persons who are unable to attend the hearing may provide PDE and the applicant with written comments on or before October 25, 2021. Any written comments provided to PDE by this deadline will also become part of the certified record.
During the public hearing on an application, the cyber charter applicant will have 30 minutes to present information about the proposed cyber charter school. Each hearing will be conducted by the panel of individuals who have completed an initial review of the application. The panel members may question the applicant on issues identified during their review, as well as issues raised in the written comments filed by the deadline. Panel members may also question individuals who offer verbal comments. Commentators will not be permitted to question either the applicant or the panel members.
Comments sent to PDE should be addressed to Division of Charter Schools, 333 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333. Hearing agendas will be prepared after October 25, 2021, when PDE is aware of the number of individuals who wish to provide verbal comments at each hearing. The hearing agenda will provide the order of presentation, as well as specify the amount of time allotted to each commentator.
Hearing agendas will be posted under Charter School Applications on PDE's website at the following link:
http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Charter%20Schools/Pages/Charter-Applications.aspx
For questions regarding these hearings, please contact Division of Charter Schools at ra-charterschools@pa.gov.