An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in pupils and attendance, further providing for attendance policy at charter, regional charter and cyber charter schools, for excuses from attending school, for procedure when child is truant, for procedure by school when child habitually truant and for penalties for violating compulsory school attendance requirements.

This bill updates Pennsylvania's Public School Code to clarify attendance rules for charter and cyber charter schools while protecting students from unfair penalties. It requires cyber charter schools to define how students are marked present for online classes, specifically mandating that students be visible on camera during live lessons and complete weekly benchmarks for independent work. The legislation also prohibits school districts from counting absences as unexcused when students miss school due to a lack of transportation or when they arrive late to a single class, and it establishes a formal appeal process for parents to contest these determinations. Additionally, the bill strengthens reporting requirements, mandating that cyber charter schools submit data on student attendance and weekly benchmark completion to the state department.