The state Department of Education will appoint a hearing officer to help to decide whether the children of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum are residents of the Penn Hills School District.

The department sent a letter to Penn Hills and the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School apprising them that a hearing officer will be appointed and will conduct a public hearing. The officer then will issue a report to which objections can be filed.

The final decision will be made by the state secretary of education.

The Penn Hills School District had been paying the cost to send five of Santorum's children to the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which students attend online.

However, Santorum and his wife, Karen, pulled their children from the cyber school after questions were raised as to whether the Santorums are Penn Hills residents. At the time, Santorum said they would home school their children, which they had done previously.

The Santorums own a Penn Hills home, which has other occupants. They spend most of their time at a home they own in Virginia.