The Pleasant Valley School District is capping enrollment in its cyber academy at about 800 students. More than 1,200 students had submitted requests for enrollment as of Aug. 27.

Lee Lesisko, the superintendent of the school district, announced Friday that the cyber academy’s enrollment limit had been reached and the registration link on the website was being removed.

“Because of COVID, almost a fourth of our entire Pleasant Valley student population is enrolled in or has requested cyber school,” he said in a prepared statement. “Unfortunately, our program has limitations on the number of students we can actually serve. We presently have enough materials for only about 800 students who are now receiving bundles (books, technology).”

Lesisko said that the cyber academy ended last school year with 215 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. It has been growing steadily since it began in 2007, but the district did not anticipate the significant interest in the academy for the upcoming school year.

In June, the school district created a survey to parents for input regarding the upcoming school year. The majority of the families who responded said they wanted in-person instruction.

In-person classes

In July, the district released its plan for hybrid instruction, which combined in-class instruction two days a week with online instruction at home three days a week. Students with last names beginning with A to K attend classes in person on Monday and Tuesdays and online instruction Wednesday through Friday. Students with last names beginning with L to Z attend classes online on Monday through Wednesday and in-person on Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays are reserved for deep cleaning of the schools. Classes began on Monday.

Lesisko said he wants parents to know that the schools are safe. The students are complying with wearing masks or face shields. They are spaced 6 feet apart, and the schools are thoroughly cleaned daily. He also said there haven’t been any issues with students refusing to wear a mask or face shield, and he credits parents with stressing the importance of mask wearing and social distancing. The students do get mask breaks during the day that are built into the schedule.

“We’re trying to get a sense of normalcy,” he said in an interview. “We want to be back to school, too.”

The next step

For families who requested the district’s cyber academy but were not able to get admitted, they are being contacted individually with the news. They have the option to enroll in the hybrid classes.

If they decided to go with the hybrid option, the parents have to contact the school that their child would be attending and make an appointment to have a schedule developed for their child.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but there was no way the cyber academy situation could have been anticipated,” Lesisko said.

For students who were able to be enrolled in the cyber academy, families are being called and appointments are being set for them to pick up the supplies. So far, 154 families have picked up their supplies, another 100 have been scheduled, and more will be scheduled for next week. Once they receive their supplies, they can begin instruction.

In-school illnesses

Lesisko said districtwide there have been some students during this first week of school in the hybrid format who felt sick in school.

Four students were in the intermediate school and 12 in the elementary school felt sick, but fewer than 10 exhibited some type of COVID-19 symptom. These students were later found to be negative for COVID.

“In each case, the school nurse was involved, the student evaluated, isolation placement done when necessary, and parents contacted,” Lesisko said.

“When a student was actually sent home, the clear understanding was that the condition be closely monitored, contact with a physician be made, a test administered if deemed necessary, and a return-to-school document secured by a medical professional before the child coming back.”

For those parents who were not able to get their child enrolled in the district’s cyber academy, there are two other options in addition to the district’s hybrid format. They could research cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania or look into home-school programs.

Charter schools do not charge tuition to the families, but the school district has to pay a tuition per student to charter schools - cyber or brick-and-mortar. At a recent Pleasant Valley School Board meeting, Lesisko said that tuition fee is about $14,000 per student.

Another option for families is home schooling. Programs can be purchased from home-school providers, and parents or a hired tutor provide the instruction.

Information regarding cyber charter schools or home schooling can be found online at the state Department of Education’s website at https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/TypesofSchools/Pages/default.aspx.