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State Tells A Delaware County Cyber Charter School They Are Violating The Law

By Molly Daly 

DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- About 500 families with children enrolled in the Education Plus Cyber Charter School got an unpleasant surprise late last week, word from the school that, because of a letter sent last week by the state, its brick--and-mortar facilities could not be used for face-to-face instruction.

Education Plus cyber charter's Nicholas Torres says Governor Wolf is no fan of charter schools.

"He's doing what he promised in his campaign, to try to shift everything back to a school district only type of model," Torres says. "We're shocked and alarmed at the timing of this, as families have been planning on this school as their only alternative for many years, and then two weeks before school starts, suddenly they're thrown into disarray."

In a statement, the Department of Education says the letter was sent to all cyber charters as a reminder that they can only provide instruction through the internet or other electronic means, and that Education Plus was the only one they'd heard about that wasn't complying.

But Eileen Teti, whose daughter was to start kindergarten at the cyber charter's Elkins Park location, says there's plenty of blame to go around.

"I think ultimately the school should've known the law, however the state did allow them to recharter, and the school board's the one in charge of letting them have the building, so I think it was just a total miscommunication between all three."

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