Parents Are Considering ‘Homeschool Pods’ For Fall, But Some Educators Warn Of Inequities

As school districts in Massachusetts submit their fall proposals to the state, many parents are coming up with their own contingency plans.

Ryan Merten’s daughter, Lena, is going into fourth grade. In normal times, she would be delighted to return to Jackson Street Elementary School in Northampton.

Merten said the whole family loves being in the public school system, because “school is one of the few fair, egalitarian, caring aspects of society.”

Of course, these aren’t normal times.

The state directed schools across Massachusetts to prepare for three potential scenarios: all learning online, all in person or a hybrid of the two.

Merten said Lena would only enroll in the public school if the the district chooses online-only.

He worries that any in-person instruction will be so restrictive that he can’t imagine his daughter — or any student — getting much out of it.

In one proposal, “the kids would not have P.E. or art or music or recess. And their food would be brought to them in each individual room,” he said. “At that point, basically, they’re just, like, sitting in a desk, going crazy for five hours a day.”

Read the rest of this story at NEPM’s website.