What is a Flexible Instructional Day, also known as a “FID” Day?

In Pennsylvania, a flexible instructional day, as defined by the Department of Education, refers to a day when schools can deliver instruction remotely rather than cancel school due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

What is the purpose of a Flexible Instructional Day?

The purpose of implementing flexible instructional days is to ensure that students continue to receive meaningful instruction even when traditional “in-person” learning is not possible. Flexible instructional days allow schools to maintain continuity in the educational process, ensuring that students can continue their learning without interruption. By utilizing technology and remote learning workbooks/resources, schools can provide students with access to instructional materials, assignments, and teacher support, regardless of physical location.

To view our schools Flexible Instructional Days Plan please click here.

Click here to see the Flexible Instructional lessons.

There have been several recent changes made to the School Code pertaining to student health initiatives. Act 117 of 2024 requires school entities and nonpublic schools to share Type 1 Diabetes educational materials with parents and guardians of students either in writing, electronically, or on the school entity or nonpublic school’s publicly accessible internet website. In this Act, a school entity includes a school district, area career and technical school, charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school or intermediate unit. The attached Type 1 Diabetes educational materials must be made available beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The materials are also available on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website at this link: Act 117 – Parental Education of Type 1 Diabetes.

Type I Diabetes Information-English

Type I Diabetes Information- Spanish

We understand that healthy children are more productive, alert, and successful in their academic careers and life. Our Nutrition Services department strives to deliver delicious, balanced meals to all students. The Esperanza Academy Charter School Nutrition Services department provides more than 1,700 meals per day throughout the High School, Middle School, and new Elementary School. This includes a full service breakfast, lunch, and snack program. We consider ourselves partners in your child’s well-being, and through our participation in the Community Eligibility Provision, CEP, we are able to offer free breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students.

See our Wellness Policy here.

See our Community Eligibility Provision Letter here.

Type I Diabetes Information- Spanish

• Admission, Lottery and Enrollment Policy
• Annual FERPA
• Lower School Code of Conduct
• Upper School Code of Conduct
• Lower Grades Parent-Student Handbook
• Upper School Parent-Student Handbook
• Child Find Notice
• Homelessness Agreement
• PA Special Education Guide
• Basic Education Circular (BEC) for Homeless Youth, issued by the Philadelphia Department of Education
• Safe Drinking Water
• Water Quality Assessment ES
• Water Quality Assessment HS
• Water Quality Assessment MS
• Wellness Policy
• Wellness Policy Assessment Report
• EACS ARP ESSER Health and Safety Plan Guidance

The Board of Trustees (“Board”) of the Esperanza Academy Charter School (“Charter School”) recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in Board Meetings. The Board also recognizes its responsibility for proper governance of the Charter School and the need to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner.

In order to permit fair and orderly expression of public comment, the Board shall provide an opportunity at each open meeting of the Board for public participants to comment on matters of concern, official action, or deliberation before the Board prior to official action by the Board.

To ensure that all individuals attending public meetings of the Charter School have the opportunity to observe the meeting and hear those participants who wish to address the Board, all members of the public attending any Board Meeting shall be expected to:

• turn off or silence all cell phones, pagers, and other personal electronic devices;
• know that it is unlawful to disrupt public meetings;
• and understand that individuals who disrupt public meetings may be removed from the meeting, if the presiding officer determines that they are being disruptive, and prosecuted.

Any member of the public may address the Charter School’s Board of Trustees at a formally scheduled public Board Meeting in accordance with the procedures and limitations of this policy.

Individuals who wish to address the Board at a Board Meeting through public comment should contact the Reporting and Accountability Coordinator, Yesenia Garcia at ygarcia@neacademy.net or 267-270-4044 ext. 1124 to sign up beginning one week prior to the date of the meeting and concluding no later than 4:00pm on the last business day before the meeting. At the time an individual sign’s up to provide public comment, they must provide the following information:

1. The name of the commentor;
2. The municipality of the commentor;
3. A brief description of all topics to be addressed by the commentor;
4. The full address and phone number of the commentator; and
5. Any group or organization affiliation, as applicable.

Speakers will be scheduled in the order in which their submissions are received.

Individuals who wish to submit a written statement for the Board’s review for an item on a Board Meeting agenda should submit their statement to the Reporting and Accountability Coordinator, Yesenia Garcia at ygarcia@neacademy.net no later than 4:00pm on the last business day before the meeting. A copy of timely received statements will be provided to the Board Members and a brief summary of each comment will be read aloud at the Board Meeting.

The following guidelines shall be followed for persons or groups wishing to make statements to the Board at any meeting:

1. Participants must first be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface their comments by an announcement of their name, their township of residence, and any applicable group affiliation;
2. Participants’ comments must be limited to the subjects they identified when signing up for public comment;
3. If questions or problems relate to issues of a personal nature, i.e. complaints about the conduct or performance of a particular Charter School employee, the Board may direct that such issues be discussed with the CEO or may go into executive session to receive presentations;
4. The agenda of Board meetings shall include opportunity for participants, without prior arrangements, to address the Board on any matter prior to the Board taking official action and at the conclusion of the business meeting;
5. Presentations and/or public comments made to the board shall be limited to a duration of three (3) minutes unless prior arrangements have been made and an extension of time has been granted;
6. The presiding officer may exercise discretion to extend the time limits;
7. Remarks on behalf of an organization or group may be presented through only one (1) speaker at each meeting, but additional representatives of the organization or group may submit written remarks to be included in the minutes of the meeting;
8. Comments on agenda items and other public comments shall be directed to the presiding officer; and
9. The presiding officer shall maintain control of all meetings and may terminate a participant’s statement when it has exceeded the time limits, discloses confidential personal information of Charter School students, staff, or board members,  and/or when the content is threatening, profane, obscene, or does not concern matters that are before the Board for deliberation or official action.

Any person attending a meeting of the Board shall have the right to use electronic recording devices under the following rules:

1. No auxiliary lighting will be permitted.
2. Under no circumstances will recording devices or problems associated with them be permitted to interrupt or delay sessions of the Board.
3. Audio and video recording devices can be used from an individual’s seat or from a location designated by the presiding Board officer.
4. An individual’s right to record will be forfeited if there is an interference with the ability of others to observe the proceedings and all reasonable efforts have been made to attempt to correct the problem.
5. All taping shall begin when the meeting is called to order and termination of taping shall be at the time of adjournment.
6. Videotaping shall be limited to the proceedings and content of the meeting.
7. No placards or banners will be permitted within the meeting room.

Persons refusing to follow the guidelines of the Board are subject to removal.

If the Board determines there is not sufficient time at a meeting for public comments, the comment period may be deferred to the next regular meeting or to a special meeting occurring before the next regular meeting.

The presiding officer at each public Board meeting shall follow Board policy for the conduct of public meetings. When the presiding officer’s ruling is disputed, it may be overruled by a majority of those Board members present and voting.

Welcome to Esperanza Academy’s Right-to-Know website, established in compliance with the Pennsylvania Right to Know law. This new law guarantees United States citizens ready access to the public records of public institutions such as Esperanza Academy Charter School. This website is designed to provide the information necessary to request information from the school.

REQUESTING INFORMATION: If you wish to request charter school information that is available, or “open”, to the public, please use the school’s Right to Know Request Form or the form provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. One of these prescribed forms must then be submitted, in a written or typed format, to Esperanza Academy Charter School’s Open Records Officer.

Important Links:

Esperanza’s Right to Know Request Form
Board of Trustees Right to Know Policy
Administrative Regulations
Explanation of Fees

What is Title I?

Title I is a 100% federally funded supplemental education program that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies to improve educational opportunities for educationally deprived children.

What is the purpose of Title I?

Title I programs are designed to help children meet the state content and performance standards in reading, language arts, and mathematics.

In buildings with 40% or more poverty, the School may use the funds to upgrade the entire curriculum of the school and School-wide Programs. In buildings with less than 40% poverty, programs are designed to help specific children and targeted assisted programs.

The School is subject to consequences of school choice and supplemental education services if they do not meet adequate yearly progress.

You are invited to attend our annual meeting, where we will review and discuss our Title I policies. If you require these policies in another language, please don’t hesitate to contact your building administrator.

Additionally, please take a moment to review the Title I documents listed below:

• • Equity Plan
  • Title I School-Parent Compact
  • Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy
  • Política de Participación de los Padres y la Familia
  • District Wide Parent and Family Engagement Policy
  • Política de participación de padres y familias en el distrito
  • ATSI Schoolwide Plan
  • Parent Right to Know

Title IX Coordinator: Rebecca DiSalvo, rdisalvo@neacademy.net, 267-270-4044

What is Title IX?

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., protects students from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance.  Title IX states that:

No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other education program or activity operated by a recipient, which receives Federal financial assistance.

This policy reaffirms the commitment of the Esperanza Academy Charter School (“Charter School”) to comply with Title IX.  This policy covers student on student as well as employee on student sexual harassment.

When Does Title IX Apply?

Title IX covers sexual harassment that happens in a school’s “education program or activity.”  This includes locations, events, and circumstances where a school exercises substantial control over the context of the alleged harassment and the person accused of committing the sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment 

Title IX prohibits the following conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

• Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.
• School employee conditioning educational benefits on participation in unwelcome sexual conduct, otherwise known as “Quid pro Quo,” harassment.
• “Sexual assault,” as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(6)(A)(v) “dating violence,” as defined in 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(10) “domestic violence,” as defined in 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(8), or “stalking” as defined in 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(30)

Charter School’s Response to Allegations/Knowledge of Sexual Harassment

Once the Charter School has actual knowledge of sexual harassment or allegations of sexual harassment, the Charter school must respond or take action.

The Charter School has “actual knowledge” when it has been given notice that a person may have been victimized by sexual harassment.  Any person, whether the alleged victim or a parent, friend, or bystander, has the right to report sexual harassment to put the Charter school on notice.  A report to any school employee will result in the Charter School having “actual knowledge.”  Further, Charter School personnel who personally witness sexual harassment can mean that the Charter School has “actual knowledge.”

The Charter School cannot be “deliberately indifferent” in responding to a complaint of sexual harassment.  That means that it cannot be “clearly unreasonable” in light of the known circumstances.  Upon receipt of a complaint, the Title IX Coordinator must act promptly, and must provide the following information to the complainant:

• The availability of supportive measures
• The right to file a complaint
• How to file a complaint

Supportive Measures:

Supportive measures are free, individualized services designed to restore or preserve equal access to education, protect or preserve equal access to education, protect safety, or deter sexual harassment.  A complainant does not need to file a formal complaint for him/her to receive supportive measures.  Supportive measures are intended to support a student and are not punitive or disciplinary with respect to another student.  These measures do not unreasonably burden any other person.  Each student, the complainant and respondent, must have equal access to education prior to any determination of responsibility.

Examples of supportive measures include:

• Counseling services;
• Academic accommodations, course-related adjustments, or deadline extensions;
• Modifications to class, work, or activity schedules;
• Escort services on Charter School property;
• Mutual restrictions on contact between parties;
• Changes in classroom, work, transportation, or activity assignments;
• Leaves of absence;
• Increased supervision, security, or monitoring of certain locations; and
• Other similar supportive services deemed appropriate by the Charter

The Title IX Coordinator is responsible for implementing these supportive measures and must consider the alleged victim’s wishes when it comes to requests for supportive measures.  Generally, these measures must remain confidential.

How to File a Complaint?

1. Download the EACS Complaint Form
2. Be sure to complete all sections of the form.
3. Be as specific as possible when discussing the incidents. Your complaint is not limited to the space provided. You are encouraged to attach additional materials, which may assist in the investigation process.
4. Please be sure to include: the date(s), the incident(s) that occurred, the name(s) of the person(s) involved, and the name(s) of those who may have witnessed the incident(s).
5. Sign and email the form to either the Title IX Coordinator, Rebecca DiSalvo: rdisalvo@neacademy.net, or any school leadership.

To view the Title IX Policy in detail click on the following link to the Title IX Policy.

If you have questions regarding the complaint process and/or complaint form, please contact the Title IX Coordinator:

Rebecca DiSalvo, Director of Student Support Services and Title IX Coordinator
4261 N. 5th Street
Philadelphia PA 19140
Phone: 267-270-4044
Fax: 610-471-0469