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, regional charter, and cyber charter schools while protecting students from unfair penalties for transportation issues. It requires cyber charter schools to define specific criteria for student presence during online classes, such as being visible on camera for live sessions or completing weekly benchmarks for independent work, and mandates that administrators cannot alter attendance records except to fix errors. The legislation also establishes a formal appeal process for families to contest unexcused absence or tardy determinations and prohibits schools from counting tardiness as an absence or penalizing students for missing school due to a lack of district-provided transportation. Additionally, the bill strengthens reporting requirements by mandating that cyber charter schools submit unexcused absence data and benchmark completion information directly to the state department. Finally, it tightens procedures for handling truancy by requiring schools to notify parents in writing within ten days of a violation and clarifies the steps schools must take when a child is habitually absent.