Why Dr. Deborah Vereen Chose PA Distance for Her Daughter’s Success
Dr. Deborah Vereen has spent decades in education. She’s been a teacher, a principal, an administrator, and an advocate. But nothing quite prepared her for the moment her daughter’s education began to feel like it was costing more than it was giving.
Her daughter, a nationally ranked gymnast, was beginning to burn out—not from the hours of training, but from the overwhelming weight of a traditional school schedule layered on top of it.
“She was staying up until midnight doing homework,” Dr. Vereen said. “She’d be asleep at the dinner table. There was no space left for her to be a child.”
A Crisis of Balance
They had invested in her private education from the start. Seven years in the same school, a consistent environment, and a strong academic foundation. But by middle school, it became clear: that consistency came at a cost.
Her daughter’s days started before sunrise and ended long after dark. She trained five to six days a week, traveled for competitions, and still came home to hours of makeup work—often handed to her with little grace.
“We were loyal to the school,” Dr. Vereen said. “But loyalty wasn’t enough to fix the burnout we were seeing in our daughter’s eyes.”
They weren’t looking to escape rigor. They were looking for respect—for a model that recognized their daughter’s commitment to both athletics and academics. They needed a school that could see the whole child.
The Shift to PA Distance
When a friend mentioned PA Distance Learning Charter School, Dr. Vereen was skeptical. She didn’t know much about cyber charter education, and as an educator herself, she had questions. Would it be rigorous enough? Would there be structure? Would her daughter feel part of a community?
They decided to try it.
“We didn’t lower the bar,” Dr. Vereen said. “We just shifted the model so she could reach it in a way that made sense for her.”
The impact was immediate. Her daughter still attended live classes, but now had the flexibility to train and travel without sacrificing her coursework. Teachers were responsive. The curriculum was challenging. And the burnout? Gone.
“It was the first time in years she had room to breathe,” Dr. Vereen said. “She got her spark back.”
A New Kind of Academic Partnership
One of the most powerful shifts wasn’t just in her daughter’s schedule—but in the tone of the relationships between school and home.
“At PA Distance, I didn’t have to fight to be heard,” Dr. Vereen said. “The teachers partnered with us. They followed up. They stayed engaged.”
If her daughter needed extra help, it was available. If they had questions, someone called. They weren’t just meeting expectations—they were exceeding them, and doing it with compassion.
Reclaiming Time, Redefining Success
Today, Dr. Vereen’s daughter continues to compete at an elite level—and she’s thriving academically. The late nights are gone. The exhaustion has lifted. There’s more room for family. More room for rest. More room to grow.
“We finally found a school that fits her life—not the other way around,” Dr. Vereen said.
And for a family that knows what it means to sacrifice, that kind of fit feels revolutionary.
Why School Choice Matters
Dr. Vereen isn’t shy about her belief in educational options. She knows that what works for one student may not work for another—and that families deserve the freedom to find the right path.
“School choice isn’t about rejecting public education,” she said. “It’s about honoring the diversity of the students we’re raising. PA Distance does that.”
A Note to Other Families
To parents out there who see the signs—fatigue, frustration, diminishing joy—Dr. Vereen offers this:
“You don’t have to wait until your child breaks. You don’t have to keep pushing through something that isn’t working. There are schools that will meet your child where they are—and walk with them from there.”
PA Distance was that school for her family. And for her daughter, it was more than an academic shift.
“It gave her back her joy. And as a mother… that’s everything.”
