Charlie Parsons is having more success in an online Life Skills class at Achievement House Cyber Charter School than he did at a traditional brick-and-mortar school.

BUTLER, Pa.— Charlie Parsons was hospitalized twice this year because of complications from a heart defect discovered when he was born in May 1997. Both times, Charlie kept up with his school work at Achievement House Cyber Charter School from his hospital bed.

Charlie transferred to Achievement House last year to escape bullies at a traditional, brick-and-mortar school operated by a public school district in western Pennsylvania in Mercer County.His mother, Tanya Parsons, said she and her husband decided to move to Mercer County to be closer to her mother, but they did not anticipate the difficulties Charlie encountered in the new school.

The kids picked on him all of the time, and he wanted to drop out,” Mrs. Parsons said. “He likes school now, and we are so excited because he will be graduating and getting a high school diploma next year. 

The Parsons have since moved to Butler in Butler County, about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. Charlie did not want to try another new traditional school because he has been doing really well at Achievement House, Mrs. Parsons said.

“He actually loves school now,” Mrs. Parsons said. “He seems more involved in his school work than ever, and he really likes his teacher.”

Charlie is assigned to an online Life Skills classroom for students with severe learning disabilities. Mrs. Parsons said her son tests at a second-grade or third-grade level in reading and math.

When he was born, his skin had a bluish-purple tint as a result of a heart defect that causes low oxygen levels in the blood. Infants born with this condition are commonly referred to as “blue babies.”

The first two months of his life were spent in the hospital after undergoing closed-heart surgery to install a Blalock-Taussig shunt known as a BT shunt, which creates a route for more oxygen to enter the bloodstream. The shunt resolves the symptoms, but it does not correct the defect.

“His heart is still not fully-sized to what it should be, but no one can tell he has heart defect from talking to him,” Mrs. Parsons said. “He does have shortness of breath so he can’t play sports or be as active as other children, but he can do everything else for himself.”

Charlie starts each school day at 9:30 a.m. in a Life Skills class, which is also his homeroom. He then has four or five other classes each day that usually last about 30 minutes each, Mrs. Parsons said. In all, Mrs. Parsons estimates Charlie spends about 4½ hours each week day attending classes or doing school work online. Last year, he made the honor roll.

Using a laptop computer provided by Achievement House, Mrs. Parsons said Charlie will attend classes while in his bedroom or in the living room. Twice this year, he has had to attend class from a hospital bed after he had health problems related to his heart defect.

While he was in a traditional school, he had no way to make up classes if he was absent due to illness, Mrs. Parsons said. Achievement House records its online classes for students who missed the class or want to review it again to better understand the material.

Achievement House is wonderful for families with children who have health issues, but I would recommend the school to anyone,” Mrs. Parsons said. “With so many children being bullied in school these days and the metal detectors and the illegal drugs, we need to have excellent cyber schools like Achievement House 

Since starting at Achievement House, Mrs. Parsons said her son made the honor roll for the first time and has begun to interact through email with other students. He also is starting to think about his future and hopes to job shadow a mechanic at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as his senior project.

He also has expressed interested in attending a trade school to study auto mechanics or auto body repair after he graduates next year, and Achievement House is helping fill out the paperwork to apply for grants and financial assistance.

“Achievement House is really helping him, and his teacher said she has seen a big difference in him from when he first started,” Mrs. Parsons said. “All of my experiences with Achievement House have been so positive, and they always get right back to me whenever I call or email them, and everybody is really friendly.”

For technical problems, the school responds quickly and usually is able to fix the problem remotely, she said. When his school-issued laptop needed to be repaired, Charlie had a new one within two days after mailing the broken one to them.

Achievement House also has provided Mrs. Parsons with a feeling of security because she no longer worries about bullies picking on her son.

After her son began having troubles with bullies at his previous brick-and-mortar school, Mrs. Parsons said she started to worry he would not earn a high school diploma. Now Charlie is enjoying school, and she is looking forward to next year when he walks down the aisle with other Achievement House Cyber Charter School students to receive his diploma.