Homeschooling enrollment increases after school safety incidents

Originally published by KDVR.

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver East High School students are back in school once again after two administrators were shot and one student took his own life.

The Problem Solvers looked into a trend that some online schools are seeing when incidents like this happen.

Many East High School parents have told FOX31 that they don’t feel comfortable sending their kids back to school. After school safety incidents, like mass shootings or the situation at East High School, many parents wonder what their options are for education.

“Families aren’t sure what to do in those moments. Homeschooling really offers them a little bit of a refuge from trying to figure out what the best solution is for their kids particularly when it’s been a traumatic event if their kids have been involved, even if their kids haven’t been involved. There’s this growing concern for parents about, ‘Is it safe for my child to be in the classroom?’ So, homeschooling becomes a great option for that,” said Cheryl Dodge president of Time4Learning.

Time4Learning, an online structured home school curriculum program, said nationwide they typically see their enrollment spike after school shooting incidents.

They said between one to three times as many students sign up for their programs after an incident prompts safety concerns.

“The shift allows the families time if they need time to heal and if it becomes a new normal for them where they decide that this is a better situation. It allows those families that flexibility to make those decisions that are best for them,” Dodge said.

Time4Learning

Time4Learning is an online K-12 curriculum that covers math, language arts, science, and social studies. However, unlike virtual schools with teachers, parents are in control.

Students can log in anywhere and anytime. There are no fixed times or schedules.

“The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that I think, it’s very empowering for families. It validates what’s important to them,” said Dodge.

Homeschooling is often considered a luxury, but Time4Learning said their program is really flexible and most of the families they serve make $50,000 a year or less.

Dodge said that the transition is usually easy for students who want to switch from their program back to traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

“They can easily flow back into a traditional brick and mortar setting if they want to because the program design is built on state standards across the core subject areas and the switch is easy for them to move back into a brick and mortar if they need to,” Dodge said.

Every Monday, the Problem Solvers were told that a parent safety advocacy group formed at East High School will continue to meet until there is action and answers from the school board.

by: Carly Moore Posted: Apr 10, 2023 / 07:37 AM MDT Updated: Apr 10, 2023 / 08:41 AM MDT