How Pa.’s largest public cyber charter school discourages public participation

Editor’s note : This is the sixth story in a series titled “Virtual Dominance: How a cyber charter school has upended K-12 education in Pa.” The series investigates the causes and consequences of the unprecedented growth of Commonwealth Charter Academy–Pa.’s fastest growing school.

Commonwealth Charter Academy, Pa.’s fastest growing school, rarely has public participation during its board of trustees meetings, according to former employees and more than eight years worth of meeting minutes.

A handful of CCA parents tried to participate during three board meetings three years ago but CCA’s board interrupted the parents during public comments, denigrated their concerns and ultimately told them to choose a different school if they continued to criticize the school’s choices.

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