Strollerderby : pennsylvania

'Jon & Kate' Under Investigation

Madeline Holler — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:03:00 GMT

The mega-meltdown hit TV show "Jon & Kate + 8" is under investigation for breaking Pennsylvania child labor laws.

The state's Department of Labor is looking into whether the shows producers are complying with child labor laws. Investigators are gathering information from its represenatives, but officials are quick to point out an investigation does not mean suspicion: they investigate every complaint.

So who's behind this complaint and what's it about?

State officials aren't saying. But the couple's in-laws have openly called the show and the Gosselin parents "exploitative."

From MSNBC:

“Unfortunately, I think it has come down to all about the ratings,” sister-in-law Jodi Kreider told CBS’ “The Early Show.” “And no one is looking at these children as what they are going through and the life consequences they are going to have as they get older.”

Kreider said the children have told her they don’t like the cameras.

Her husband and Kate’s brother, Kevin Kreider, said in the same interview: “You can’t imagine as a child realizing that my birthday party, that all the outings that my parents took me on were ... for ratings, and all organized by production companies.”

A spokesperson for TLC said producers have been in full compliance with state laws and regulations.

Again, MSNBC:

State law permits kids who are at least 7 to work in the entertainment industry, as long as a permit is obtained and certain rules are followed. The law also allows performers younger than 7 to have “temporary employment ... in the production of a motion picture.”

The sextuplets have just turned 5. Ahhh, but this is reality TV and here's one possible outcome:

George Voegele, a labor lawyer at Cozen O’Connor in Philadelphia, said the Labor Department might well decide it doesn’t have jurisdiction over the show, especially if investigators determine the cameras are there to document the kids, not direct them.

“The fundamental question I see here is whether or not they’re employees, whether they’re working, and whether the Pennsylvania child labor law provisions would even apply to this situation,” he said.

Hmmm. Maybe 'Jon & Kate' will have a legal impact on future reality TV shows starring, uh, I mean "documenting" children.

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Photo:TLC

Preteen Boy Accused of Murdering Dad's Pregnant Girlfriend

Kate Tuttle — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:01:00 GMT

A sad, sad story out of Pennsylvania: 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk was pregnant with her third child, a boy due in early March, when her boyfriend's son, 11-year-old Jordan Brown, allegedly shot her to death. It was not possible to save the life of her unborn son. Houk's body was discovered by her four-year-old daughter, who ran outside to tell workers that she thought her mother was dead (Brown and Houk's older daughter, aged seven, had already boarded the schoolbus, and Houk's boyfriend was at work).

According to Pennylsvania state law, accused murderers over age ten are charged and tried as adults. Brown is currently being held in the county jail in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Relatives and friends who spoke to the press alluded to jealousy and fear of displacement as possible factors in the killing.

Brown has not yet been tried or convicted, but if he is guilty of this crime it's hard to see what good is served by treating him as an adult. There's no erasing the devastation caused by this murder, but one can only imagine the kind of criminal he'll be in 20 or 40 years, if he's sent to do hard time. According to MSNBC, his lawyer will petition to move the case to juvenile court and to have Brown released on bail pending trial; this, too, is hard to imagine -- how will the father want to parent him, if he indeed murdered the girlfriend? Stories don't indicate whether Brown's mother is in his life. Looking at his mug shot, I can't tell whether I see a heartless killer or a very scared child.

Photograph: Lawrence County Prison/AP

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Fox Asks, “Would You Want Terrorists Living in Your Backyard?”

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

In response to President Obama’s executive order to close Guantanamo, give the remaining detainees fair trials, and ban torture (you know, the kinds of basic civil liberties that have governed civilized societies since the Magna Carta), Fox News has responded with unprecedented fear mongering.

As you can see in the clip below, they sent a reporter to Pennsylvania, armed with photos of apparently Muslim men—some in turbans, some simply dark-skinned. They showed these photos to people on the street and asked, “Would you want terrorists living in your backyard?”

Let's quickly unpack a few blatant problems with this question. First, the vast majority of the remaining men at Guantanamo have been held for seven years with ever being charged with a crime. The Pentagon admits that only five percent of them were picked up on a battlefield, and has already cleared many of them for release. They are no more convicted terrorists than I am.

And who said anything about housing Guantanamo detainees in a backyard? If these men are brought to the U.S., they will be housed in maximum security prisons. America’s criminal justice system is the best in the world. Federal courts have convicted 145 people on international terrorism charges since 9/11—while Guantanamo’s military commissions have made all of TWO convictions.

Perhaps most egregious of Fox was to associate photos of random dark-skinned men with terrorists. Let’s remember that many men who look exactly like the people in these photographs are American citizens. Their kids attend school with the same kids who watched this outrageous segment on Fox.

Knowing that this level of irrational fear and hatred exists in millions of families in the U.S., those parents who do not watch Fox News have a special responsibility to teach their children tolerance and the courage to impart tolerance to their peers.

The best part of this clip is at the end, when the anchors all decide that the remaining Guantanamo detainees should be held at Alcatraz—you know, with all those West Coasters who hate America. Um, I hate to be a nitpicker, but Alcatraz is a theme park. Would you rather have suspected terrorists held at a theme park than at a maximum-security prison?

Photo: viralpolitics.com

Kid to Obamas: Take My Puppy

JeanneSager — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Now that the Obamas have narrowed their dog search to two breeds, there's a fourth grader in Pennsylvania who's crossing his fingers that he's got the answer to all their four-legged questions.

Zack Shiley's dogs produced a litter born on November 26, but only one survived. That's the puppy - a labradoodle - that Shiley wants President Barack Obama to bring home to the White House for daughters Sasha and Malia.

The fourth grader at the Wharton Elementary School in Farmington, Pa., sent word to D.C. this week via his County Commissioners, Vincent Vicites and Vincent Zapotsky. The Vincents attended the inauguration without the six-week-old Vegas, the love pup of eleven-year-old Hillary, a chocolate Labrador and her much younger stud (sire?) one-year-old Bullet, a black labradoodle.

Instead they took with them a letter directly to Malia - who Shiley figures has the final say on the matter (she's the member of the Obama family with an allergy - prompting consideration of a labradoodle).

"We want her to have a good home, and what could be better than the White House... A dream come true," Shiley wrote. "I almost forgot, the puppy is free."

According to his hometown newspaper, The Herald Standard, everyone admits it's a long shot, but Shiley's mom put her stamp of approval on her son's letter and offer to the new president. Considering the pup earned the name Vegas because Mom was on a trip to Las Vegas when the family dogs mated, perhaps there's a little more than selflessness at work there? Don't worry Ms. Shiley - we get you! Whatever your motivation (getting the puppy out of the house so you can go back to two dogs instead of three!), you raised a son with a big heart - and one adorable ball of fur for a friend.

Image: The Herald Standard

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Mystery Solved: Dog Swallowed Fifteen Pacifiers

Pregnant Woman Arrested For Fighting At Chuck E. Cheese

Brett Singer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township Pennsylvania was the scene of a violent altercation last week between five women and a minor, all of whom were arrested. One of the women involved was pregnant. A video of the fight was posted to YouTube but has been removed.

WGAL says that this is the 12th time this particular Chuck E. Cheese has had to call the police to calm everybody down.

Growing up in New York City, we didn't have Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't miss it because, well, the pizza sucks. But clearly those places are dangerous.

PennLive.com says that the incident continues what "police describe as a disturbing and bizarre crime trend: escalating violence among adults at a place designed for children's birthday parties."

Twelve calls to police in one year does seem like a lot. But I don’t know if I'd call it a "trend", since all of those problems were at the same place. The Susquehanna Cheesery has hired a police officer to be on site every Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully that will get the adults to behave themselves.

I've seen bad parental behavior, but nothing quite like what these articles describe. Anyone seen grown-ups behaving badly at kiddie establishments recently? Is this a trend?

Source: WGAL, WGAL again, and PennLive.com

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Palin Urges Voters Not to Forget the "Right to Life"

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Desperate times call for desperate measures. No one knows this better than the McCain campaign, which is attempting to make abortion a key issue in this year’s election, yet again. Yawn.

As Sarah Palin told Pennsylvania voters, “In times like these with wars and financial crisis, I know that it may be easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life, and it seems that our opponent kind of hopes you will forget that.”

Actually, I’m pretty sure he’s just more focused on the “wars and financial crisis”—as, apparently, are the American people. As Slate’s Melinda Henneberger points out, even people who have been single issue, anti-choice voters in the past have decided that the economy, the environment, and health care matter more than Roe v. Wade this time around.

Photo: Jim Young/Reuters

Baby Pictures: The Best Part of this Election

Body Found in "Baby Buyer’s" Apartment

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:30:00 GMT

The story of the Pennsylvania woman who told police that she paid $1,000 for a baby has a taken a turn for the worse. Tragically, it appears that the dark suspicions of some commenters to my first story about Andrea Curry-Demus (pictured) were well founded: police have found a woman's body in Curry-Demus’ apartment. A placenta was discovered nearby.

This is not the first time that Curry-Demus has attempted to steal babies: In 1990, she stabbed a woman in a ploy to kidnap her infant. The day after the stabbing, she took a baby out of Children’s Hospital and brought the infant to her apartment. Police found the baby there the next day, unharmed. Curry-Demus pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, and was sentenced to 10 years’ probation, a sentence that, in retrospect, was far too lenient. Curry-Demus has also been found guilty of theft.

She will remain in jail unless she can post $10,000 bond and agrees to be examined by a psychiatrist.

Photo: New York Daily News

Woman Claims She Paid $1,000 for a Baby

After Miscarriage, Woman Paid $1,000 For a Baby

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:30:00 GMT

This is perhaps the most bizarre tale of child endangerment that you’ll ever read—and, thank God, the baby involved is unharmed, though in need of loving parents.

A Pennsylvania woman named Andrea Curry-Demus called paramedics last week and said she had just given birth prematurely. She was rushed to the hospital with an infant whose umbilical cord was still attached. Doctors were immediately suspicious of the woman’s story since the baby appeared to be full-term. After examining Curry-Demus, they determined that she had not given birth and called the police. Blood and hormone tests later revealed that Curry-Demus is not the baby’s mother.

The 38-year-old woman told police that she had a miscarriage in June, but she didn’t want to disappoint her mother by telling her the truth. So she befriended a pregnant woman named Tina, and arranged to give Tina $1,000 for her baby. According to Curry-Demus, Tina showed up at her apartment carrying the newborn, with the umbilical cord still attached. That's when Curry-Demus called an ambulance.

The healthy baby remains at the hospital while police try to identify who the birth mother is. Curry-Demus, who faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, claims she's done nothing wrong.

Photo: totalbabyguide.com

Update:

Body Found in Curry-Demus' Apartment

Dad Saves Son from Berserk Buck

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Commenting on his recent brush with danger, Randy Goepfert said, “I’m a father. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to those kids.” Any devoted parent can relate to Goepfert’s protective bravado, but few would guess that the “anything” Goepfert was referring to involved a white-tail buck and a hair salon.

Goepfert was paying for his son’s haircut at a strip mall in Quakerstown, Pennsylvania when a deer came crashing through the glass door of the salon. Well, it turns out those protective parenting instincts are not just a fairytale; either that, or Goepfert’s been watching a little too much WWF. In any case, he immediately “decked” the disoriented animal, then slammed it on the ground, climbed on top of it, and tightened his hands around the deer's neck.

But even Goepfert’s superhuman daddy strength wasn’t enough to keep the large creature subdued. The buck broke free, unleashing a frantic game of high stakes tag while Goepfert chased him around the salon, eventually succeeding in locking the deer in a back room.

"They have a very, very primeval flight response," a wildlife conversation officer said of the deer, who sadly had to be euthanized. Fortunately for Holiday Hair’s hairdressers and their juvenile customers, Randy Goepfert’s fight response is just as well honed.

Photo: Wikimedia

Political Nanny: And Then There Were ... Crap! Still 3!

Madeline Holler — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:27:00 GMT

Political Nanny adores her stubborn little Hillary just as much as her other three charges (OK, OK, four. But Ronny's still not around all that much). It's the process that's getting to her, though. And probably to you.

Here's what Politico says about why she won:

For all the campaigning and money spent, Hillary Rodham Clinton won Pennsylvania with the same base of white women, working-class voters and white men that revived her candidacy in Ohio last month. The demography that has defined the Democratic race went largely unchanged, according to exit polls.

But enough from the pollsters pundits, why do you think Hillary won? And what do you think will happen in Indiana and North Carolina? Those races are May 6, which, while not five weeks away, sort of feels like it.

You know, some people are still talking joint ticket ...

Photo: CNN.com

Political Nanny: Barack Sweeps E Street

Madeline Holler — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:01:00 GMT

Posted by Political Nanny

Superstar -- but not Superdelegate -- Bruce Springsteeen has made up his mind. And just in time for the Pennsylvania/working class/gun-clingers/bitterness primary!

The Boss and, judging from his public statement, the rest of the members of the E Street band, are backing Barack Obama for president. Here's what he has to say:

"... He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “…nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”

And this:

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we’re proud to support Obama for President.

Hmmmm. What aging -- but still fabulous! -- rock star needs to come out for Hillary about now?

Photo: 2twenty2blogspot.com

Political Nanny: Like Talking to a Roomful of Toddlers

Madeline Holler — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:31:00 GMT

Posted by Political Nanny

Oh, Hillary, what a night! There you were on stage, ready to deliver your regular stump speech to a very important crowd of Democratic voters in Pennsylvania, and what did they do? They ignored you! They milled! They chit-chatted amongst themselves?

And what did you do? You cut your speech back, waaaaay back. What usually takes you an hour, and in its shortest form until yesterday took 12 minutes, was wrapped up around the 5-minute mark. Didn't you just want to scold them?

Well, Political Nanny certainly doesn't approve of rude guests (or hosts?) -- audience members. But you did the right thing. And thank you, THANK YOU, for not losing your mind, or even calling attention to the improper behavior. You would have paid dearly for that.

Photo: AP

The Bear That Almost Ate a Girl Scout

Karen Murphy — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:02:00 GMT

About an hour north of where I live are the lovely Poconos, a mountainish land of champagne-glass hot tubs and huge round beds (so I hear) and also some good-enough skiing and snow tubing, and trees and stuff. Oh, and bears.

Which is what a pack of Girl Scouts found trying to remove one of their toothsome tween members from a tent recently where they were camping at (no laughing) Camp Mosey Wood. The eleven-year-old managed to grab a tent pole and slide out of her sleeping bag. After a lot of screaming (girls in groups are good at that), the adults in the party hustled everyone into bear-free vehicles and then made a command decision outlawing tents for the duration.

The story could have ended a lot differently, in which case would you still be thinking about those Poconos hot tubs? I thought not.

Parents of Snackless Kindergarteners Complain

Karen Murphy — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:53:00 GMT

When parents start referring to the time period their kids have gone snackless at school by the exact count of days, you know they're pretty ticked off. And parents of some kindergarteners in my state of Pennsylvania are complaining to the school board because their kids have been missing their afternoon snacks since the beginning of the year. While I can certainly relate, having contended with some hungry, grumpy kindergarteners myself, I'm thinking there could be a little more compassion here. You see, the reason these kids have gone snackless is because one student among them has severe allergies, so severe that they could go into anaphylactic shock if they consume or even come near one of the potential foods they're allergic to.

It almost looks, though, like a classic case of "he said, she said." The school contends that they submitted a list of "safe" snacks that can be brought into the classroom for parties, holidays and on every Friday, while the parents claim they have seen no such list. But meanwhile, you've got a classful of hungry kids and one that could die if the wrong food is brought in. What to do, what to do....

What my kids' school did was to ban the offending substances, not only from the classroom of the allergic child but from the entire school. Yep, because one child is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, all the other kids are eating Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds and actually quite tasty!) and soy butter. No big deal, you get used to it. And at least you know you're not going to inadvertantly cause a death one day when you send lunch along with your kid at school. I'm wondering if perhaps a little education about anaphylactic allergies could help these parents, and maybe a big dose of compassion.

What do you think? Have nuts or other foods been banned in your child's school to accommodate someone with allergies? How do you feel about that?

Pennsylvania Principal Found Naked with Porn and Drugs

Karen Murphy — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:56:00 GMT

Annnnnnnd, he WINS the Trifecta!! Here's a juicy update to CityMama's earlier post about the drug-selling Pennsylvania principal: he was found naked in his office with sex toys this week while watching gay porn in addition to selling crystal meth right out of his office (so handy, what with the porn and the sex toys right there too). Apparently he couldn't wait to get naked right after making the sale to the police informant, and so was busted in an extremely embarrassing (for him) state.

Jeez, I remember when getting sent to the principal's office used to mean something. And this would be the time I would be glad I'm paying private school tuition, if this is the state of the public schools only a few miles from my house.

[Image from NBC10.com]

Principal Busted for Selling Meth from His School

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:05:00 GMT

In another case of "What Were They Thinking?," John Acerra, the principal of Nitcshmann Middle School in Bethlehem, Penn. was arrested at his school for dealing meth. Police began watching Acerra in February after being tipped off that Principal Acerra was using and dealing the drug.

Police set up a sting operation which led to the arrest. When he was busted, Acerra was sitting at his desk with a bag of meth and a pipe on it. Also sitting on his desk, the marked cash from the sting operation. Tool.

There was no evidence that he was dealing to students. But you know that was next. Cuz a principal smoking meth at school don't got his head on straight.

Nurse-In Hits Pennsylvania Mall

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Hundreds of women showed up at a mall is Wyomissing, Pennsylvia on Saturday, but they weren't there to shop. They were there to bare their breasts in the interest of feeding of their children. The women were participating in a nurse-in in support of Leigh Bellini, who while nursing her six-month-old baby at the mall, was asked to go to a public bathroom or to her car.

Bellini was sitting on a bench with her stroller in front of her for privacy when security approached after receiving a complaint. When the family refused to move, security threatened to get the police involved. Mall management has since said the security officer was wrong and that the mall has no policy preventing mothers from breastfeeding.

Anyone that has breastfed or been closely involved with nursing women knows that it is possible to nurse without "showing anything," as Bellini said she was doing. And, if a bit of breast does happen to show, look away, people! Give that mom some privacy: she's feeding her child, not putting on a strip show. Hooray for Bellini for sticking to her guns, and to the women who took over the mall's center court in support of her.

Denial of Pregnancy: Doctors Attempt to Explain Perplexing Phenomenon

thezeroboss — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:03:00 GMT

A few months ago I boggled over the case of Jessica Exposito, the 24-year-old Pennsylvanian woman who insisted that she didn't know she was pregnant until the moment she gave birth. How do you not know that you have a life inside you, attempting to kick its little way into daylight? This issue came up again recently when a dead newborn was found in Drexel Hill, PA last week. (DAMN, Pennsylvania - you folks do something to the drinking water?!) The mom? An 18-year-old Drexel University student whose pregnancy was a mystery to her and her family. It's cases like these that leave the rest of us asking, "Huh?!"

Professors Doris Vallone and Lori M. Hoffman, co-authors of "Preventing the Tragedy of Neonaticide", attempted to explain how a woman can explain away her bulging abdomen. But sadly, they have no good answers either. The best they can do is emphasize the "power of denial", and point out that pregnant teenagers can succumb to "magical thinking".

That doesn't help the rest of us in deciding whether to cut these women any slack in the deaths of their children. Given that most women who present to doctors with denial of pregnancy never receive a psychiatric evaluation, it is any wonder some of these cases end in tragedy? Still I'm with police Superintendant Michael Chitwood. Denying pregnancy? That's one thing. Hiding your baby's corpse after you've killed it? Sorry, but denial's no cover for murder.

Teenager Charged With Sexual Abuse - of Herself

Patti — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:31:00 GMT

According to this wire story reported in USA Today, a 15-year-old Pennsylvania girl has been charged with sexual abuse of children as well as possession and dissemination of child pornography after being caught posting nude pictures on the internet which she had taken of herself. Dozens of photos she had taken of herself in various stages of undress and performing various sexual acts were found on her hard drive, and police allege she sent them to people she met in chat rooms. It was not reported how police learned about the girl's activities, and her name has not been released.

Does it need to be said again? Parents: pay attention to your children's online activities.

via reddit.com

PA Kids Like "Mystery Fat" in School Lunches

Karen Murphy — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:27:00 GMT

Mmm. School lunches. Just thinking about then makes you a little nostalgic, doesn't it? That particular smell found only in school cafeterias (was it the tacos? the green beans? the tater tots? what?); the scowling fat ladies in hairnets wielding large spoons behind the counter; it all just brings you right back to the 3rd grade. Yum. So when I read that a Pennsylvania school district replaced its popular but high-fat ranch dressing with a version chock-full of "Mystery Fat", I couldn't help but remember the time when that kid, what was his name? Tim something? When Tim hurled up his breakfast (Cheerios, judging by the evidence there on the floor) right in the cafeteria line, setting off a whole unfortunate chain reaction that set the entire janitorial staff to scurrying for their mops and buckets and eventually took out the entire 2nd grade plus half the third.

Yep, Plum Borough (near Pittsburgh, an otherwise totally cool city) School District took it upon itself 10 months ago to replace full-fat mayonnaise and mayo-containing products such as the ranch dressing with one containing a substance called Z Trim, "made from the hulls of corn, oats, soy, rice and barley", now being manufactured and marketed by a company called FiberGel Technologies. (Mmm, Z Trim. FiberGel. Sound yummy, don't they?) The kicker? They did the swap without telling anyone. We already know that Pennsylvania is concerned enough about fat and kids to send notes home to the parents of fat kids, but doesn't this cross a line? So what if its manufacturer says the Z Trim has no side effects? If I were a parent to a kid in that district, I'd like to know what my kid was being fed, thank you!

And, uh, Plum Borough people? I hate to break this to you, but fat isn't the problem. Nope! While Plum Borough may think they are successfully "fighting the obesity epidemic", I semi-respectfully suggest they are simply fueling it. With low-fat versions of typically high-fat foods, students may be lulled into thinking they can eat anywhere the way they do in school. Not only that, but piling " white globs of ranch dressing" onto a salad isn't exactly a good idea, real fat or mystery fat. What schools nationwide really need to do is to look at the choices available in the schools and to also educate children about smart eating. What about portion size? Types of foods offered? And how about a little exercise now and then? Using this "mystery fat" is just throwing more fat at the growing problem of obesity, and won't do a thing to make it go away.

Cyberschool Trend Gains Ground

Patti — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 13:00:00 GMT

Public school. Charter school. Private school. Parochial school. Home schooling. Unschooling. These are the words that tapdance around my brain at night, as my preschooler nears the age where we must decide her kindergarten fate. Educational offerings in the Bay Area are inconsistent at best, and we can't afford "at best". It's easy enough to rule out some of our choices (don't let the door hit ya, unschooling), but the pros and cons of the remaining options have become a giant tumor pressing on my frontal lobe, blurring my vision.

Now my entire brain can just go ahead and explode, because now I've heard of yet another option: Cyberschooling. Although Wired gave the trend a thumbs down two years ago, it's becoming quite the trend in Pennsylvania.

Parents rave about the convenience of having their children sit down to work at the computer and be done for the day and off to ballet class by 11 AM, but the skepticism Wired expressed in 2004 is still alive and well today, and the sub-par test scores are, too. West York superintendent Emilie Lonardi says "There's virtually no accountability that we have as a school district over our students who are in cyber schools," and also notes that this lack of accountability to the district means she has no idea whether the cyber charter schools' poor test scores are the result of curriculum or student-related issues.

In theory, cyberschooling sounds like the best parts of home schooling (flexibility, not having to change out of my pajamas to drive them to a physical campus) with the structure and curriculum that a traditional school provides. In practice, it sounds like any other educational path: it's not for every child, and the results will depend entirely on the kid and his support network.