Popularity of homeschooling remains even after pandemic

Public schools lost more than one million students between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Although the pandemic triggered a surge in homeschooling, its popularity continues to explode with many parents continuing the practice even after public schools reopened. Estimates show that public schools have lost 1.2 million students overall.

In addition to frustrating COVID-related policies, viral social media accounts such as “Libs of TikTok” have alerted parents to concerning — and often sexually explicit — content being taught to their young children.

For example, in May of last year, a rattled mother in Las Vegas appeared at a Clark County School District board meeting, where she began to read an excerpt from the “pornographic” content in her daughter’s alleged class assignment. Ironically, the content was so graphic that Kandra Evans’ microphone was turned off before a district official told her such “profanity” was not permitted during the meeting. (Watch the video)

Evans then asked, “If you don’t want me to read it to you, what was it like for my 15-year-old daughter to have to memorize pornographic material?”

In another instance, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit from the same time alleged a school district in Kansas City, Kan, forced educators to lie by hiding children’s gender identities from their parents.

Actor and filmmaker Kirk Cameron, creator of the recently released documentary “The Homeschool Awakening,” is certainly not surprised by parents’ turn toward homeschooling.

READ: Kirk Cameron will attempt to read faith-based book after being banned from libraries

“If you look at the public education system, removing prayer from schools, removing God and the Bible from school and replacing those things with progressive ideas, like the critical race theory, gender theory and teaching children to decide whether or not they prefer to be a boy or a girl, to choose their own pronouns and separating parents from their children’s understanding of sexuality and when and how they’re exposed to explicit material, these are the kinds of things that parents are saying we’re not down for this anymore,” he said.

“The public school system has broken trust with us as parents, these kids are precious. God’s given them to us and we need to do better for them. And so millions are now successfully homeschooling their kids or taking them to private schools that can actually pass on their values, not undermine them.”

The upsurge in interest will likely have a positive impact on attendance of the Midwest Parent Educators Homeschool Conference and Curriculum Fair March 31 – April 1. The annual event draws parents from several states who attende daily workshops, hear national speakers and shop for curriculum.

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–Alan Goforth | MV