NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When the pandemic hit, the home became the classroom for Nicole Slauter’s boys, but this year they wanted to give school another chance. “[I] wanted to try to put my kids back into public school this year, so we did,” she said.
Until both her sons were sent home in the first two weeks of school because of a COVID exposure.
“It was in the back of my head that that could happen but I certainly didn’t think it was going to be that soon,” said Slauter.
That’s when the family decided to go back to full-time homeschooling.
“Especially once I got that call to quarantine- my kids weren’t sick at that time- but that’s definitely a concern," said Slauter. "When you get that call that’s the first thing that pops into your head, oh gosh.”
It’s that feeling of safety and consistency that has other parents contemplating the switch.
“The fact that one day they’re having school, the next day they’re not. One day they’re having to wear masks, the next day they’re not,” said Katrina Hagerty, an Administrator at Heritage Christian Academy along with her husband Ed.
She said enrollment at their homeschool program is unprecedented. "In the years passed, you know you always have certain numbers, but more and more people are coming and coming even at this late date wanting to homeschool. I registered two families this morning.”
The option also gives parents more control.
“So it’s just kind of confusing for parents and it’s confusing for families, they don’t know what’s going to happen next, what are they going to be doing next month? That’s kind of a tough situation for them,” said Hagerty.
While the future of some traditional schools remains uncertain, Hagerty believes the homeschool community will continue to grow.
