After a statewide trend of sporadic threats made to public schools, some participating in non-public schooling have seen a recent uptick in interest in homeschooling as an alternative.
In recent weeks, police across the state have arrested well over a dozen juveniles for making online or in-person threats to multiple schools.
The trend started in the River Region. What was initially an online threat that caused an abrupt halt to a varsity football game swiftly turned into several schools in Montgomery, Elmore and Autauga Counties being placed on alert over online threats circulating social media.
SEE: Six juveniles arrested since Sunday over online terroristic threats made to River Region schools
Although the trend has slowed recently, the weeks-long trend caused no shortage of panic for parents who send their children to those schools every day.
The result was that homeschooling parents in the area were inundated with inquiries about possibly shifting to an alternate form of schooling.
Jennifer Hester is a homeschool mom who works with the Classical Conversations (CC) community out of Young Meadows in Montgomery. The community is one of many in the area that has grown in recent years.
CC is an explicitly Christian homeschooling curriculum with a vibrant presence in the Montgomery area. According to Hester, the most recent interest in homeschooling began during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception that the most recent interest was not the result of school shutdowns. The recent influx of interest caused the CC community in Montgomery to host an open house for interested parents, with spots that filled quickly.
"We did have a lot of people asking about it, but I would have to reach out to the other communities because there are four communities here in Montgomery, so I would have to reach out to them to find out how many in total, but we've had several what we call 'information meetings' where we meet and just kind of go over the what the program is and what it does," she outlined."
"When COVID hit, the kids were all forced to go home, so people were like, 'Oh. We're homeschooling now," Hester added. "So that more crisis schooling than homeschooling. There's a really big difference. So there was a really big influx at that time of people who were looking for other options; either it was fear-based, or they realized they could be successful teaching their child at home. So, I think there's been an influx since 2020 anyway."
"Then, in light of the recent threats in the tri-county area, we thought it was just a wonderful time to be able to reach out to the community and say, 'Hey. There are other options and we can help you with those options.' So, I think there's been a lot of growth in the community over the past year or so. And in Montgomery, there are several communities for Classical Conversations, so there's so many options for homeschooling there."
Although there has been growing interest in homeschooling, Hester said the homeschooling lifestyle is only suited for some, especially an explicitly Christian one like CC.
"The thing that sets Classical Conversations from a co-op or a homeschool group is that we put God first," Hester continued. "And so everything that we do is not to make good students, that's not the main goal, but we are creating people who love the Lord."
She also believes the community provided by CC provides support for parents who are exploring homeschooling.
"There's so much support for parents here that you don't find if you just go and purchase a homeschool curriculum," Hester said. "You can go order a curriculum online, and it will come in the mail, but there's no support for parents on what to do with that or what to do on the days when it's hard when your kid just doesn't want to do it. So, we provide support for homeschooled families, not just the curriculum. I think that's what sets us apart. And so, when people come and they visit the campus, people can see that. The parents are in the classroom with the kids. They are actively participating. All of the classes are led by parents, and we provide training on that so it's not just a random parent that doesn't know what they're doing."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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