A seventh-grade student who had been bullied in middle school found a caring and nurturing environment to learn through Achievement House Cyber Charter School.

YORK, Pa. — Yareliz Morales transferred her son to Achievement House Cyber Charter School two years ago because she said the teachers and administrators at the brick-and-mortar charter school he was attending would not intervene on his behalf when he was teased or bullied.“I felt as though the students were running the school because there did not seem to be a lot of supervision or discipline,” Miss Morales said.

My son wanted to learn. Because of all the distractions in the classroom, he was not learning at the level he should have been. 

Her son, Andrés Morales, is in ninth grade at Achievement House Cyber Charter School, an online public charter school based in Exton and authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to serve students in grades 7-12. Andrés transferred to Achievement House while in eighth grade following several incidents that caused Miss Morales to be concerned about her son’s well-being.

Although her son tried not to let others know the actions and comments of other students were hurtful to him, Miss Morales said she received a report from an adult friend who works in the school who had overheard a heated argument between her son and another student.

“His way of dealing with everything is usually laughing about it. It’s his defense mechanism,” Miss Morales said. “But if the teachers actually knew their students, they would have realized it bothered him. I knew, because I paid attention.”

Miss Morales said her son was never physically harmed, but she worried the situation could escalate without intervention from school officials. However, she realized school officials had no plans of helping her son after his book bag disappeared during one class when he was in eighth grade. Miss Morales said the teacher dismissed the class without attempting to locate the bag, which was later found stuffed in a cabinet in the back of the classroom. Miss Morales said the same antics that were allowed to go on in the school transferred to outside school activities.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child,” Miss Morales said. “The school is part of that village, but it did nothing to resolve little problems like simple name-calling.”

It was a difficult decision to transfer her son to another school in the middle of the school year. However, Miss Morales said it was not difficult to choose Achievement House Cyber Charter School because she had worked in the same building in which Achievement House operates its York Satellite Office.

“I got to know the teachers and got a feel for the students and how they conducted themselves,” Miss Morales said. “I felt my son would be safe and be in a much better environment because I trusted the people who oversee the center.”

Andrés has had above-average grades throughout his education, and he is finding the work at Achievement House to be challenging, Miss Morales said.

“There are many nights we are up studying late together, but it’s a welcome change,” Miss Morales said.

For the first time, Miss Morales said she feels involved in her son’s education because the online environment allows her to access his school work.

Andrés also appreciates the online system because it provides him extra time with the more difficult work and convenient access to tutoring and help from his teachers.

I can work at my own pace without being rushed to finish with everyone else like I would be in a regular classroom,” Andrés said. “If I need extra help during school hours, I visit the Achievement House Cyber Café online. After hours, I sometimes contact the teacher if I am really struggling 

The teachers also have demonstrated a genuine interest in Andrés, Miss Morales said. When a teacher noticed him working on a mini-lecture for their church, the teacher stopped to help him write it between classes. Then, the teacher and other staff members from the satellite office surprised him by attending the service to hear him deliver it.

“They support the children not only academically but as a whole,” Miss Morales said. “Considering how busy everyone is, that is difficult to find nowadays. It shows they actually care. They seem like a family, which is great.”

Besides his social activities at church, Andrés has become friends with several Achievement House Cyber Charter School students from other areas of the state. He said he looks forward to the annual field trip to Hershey Park to spend recreational time with them. He said Achievement House is more diverse than his previous school based on the religious, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the students he has met.

“I don’t have a lot more friends, but I have a lot of different friends,” Andrés said. “It’s exciting to get together with them because we don’t see each other every single day in school.”