Will Coronavirus lead to an increase in homeschooling? BY MIKE DELUCAS
When Florida schools shut down in March 2020 due to the coronavirus, students were forced to do some school work from home. Will this accidental virtual/homeschool experience lead to more intentional homeschooling in the coming school year?
The simple answer is yes. As with many education questions, the simple answer is not enough here. There are at least a small percentage of families that saw some benefits of homeschooling this past Spring and will register their children as homeschoolers moving forward. There is a larger percentage of people who will worry about sending their children back to school in August. Nobody really knows what school will look like in August. For example, will students eat lunch in classrooms or in cafeterias? The answer to a fairly minor question like this one will have an impact on whether or not students will return to school.
Some families and students want school to look exactly like it did at the beginning of last year. They crave the normalcy of school. Other families will worry how schools will distance students in classrooms, hallways, cafeterias and gyms. If school looks like it used to, some parents will worry about safety. If schools look safe from a physical distance point of view, some students and parents will balk at these efforts and the lack of normalcy. Can a child be expected to wear a mask for seven hours per day (if this becomes an expectation)? Either a yes or a no answer could cause a family to consider their educational options.
If five additional families in Alachua County decide to homeschool their children this year, the school district will be fine. If five hundred additional families decide to homeschool their children this year, the school district will have to make changes. School budgets are based on the number of students at each school. If a school were to have ten percent fewer students show up within the first two weeks of school in August, the school may have to combine some classes and send teachers to another school. Is it possible that schools with higher levels of affluent students will see a rise in homeschooling while schools with more disadvantaged students will not? These issues could make it difficult for schools to make a master schedule or hire teachers for next year. Florida is already a homeschool-friendly state. Florida Virtual School is a public school that provides their courses for free to Florida residents. The Florida High School Athletics Association already has policies in place that allow homeschool students to participate in the sports of their choice at local public and private schools.
Most families want their children to return to school. However, paradigms are changing during this pandemic. Companies that did not believe in employees working from home are now embracing the practice. Conversely, some people who wanted to work from home are now very happy to return to the office. Will school districts offer virtual plans to families who want to keep their children at home? Will private schools grow because families prefer the smaller number of students per class or will small private schools flounder because fewer parents can afford tuition? This will be an interesting school year for all schools and all students.