When it comes to educating our kids, parents today are choosing safety over the status quo.

Kristen’s son, now 15, began his education in a traditional public school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Like so many parents, she wanted him to thrive academically, to find his friends and to build his confidence. But instead, he was met with something far more destructive: bullying.

“As a parent, I know what my child is capable of,” Kristen shared. But in his current school, she worried that he was in a position where he would be continuously “pushed back academically” or emotionally. 

Beyond this, the safety concerns weren’t theoretical. They were very real. “Three miles away from my child’s school, there was a shooting. I think about that instance all the time. It’s why I enrolled my child into virtual school.”

This is a decision no parent should have to make: choosing between a child’s physical safety and their access to a supportive, high-quality education. Yet for Kristen, as for many families, it was. 

Finding Flexibility, Freedom, and a Path Forward

Kristen’s family initially turned to virtual public school in the fourth grade. The transition was not without its challenges, including navigating a new learning environment, balancing the desire for social interaction, and finding the right extracurricular opportunities all required adjustment.

But what virtual schooling offered was something the traditional system could not: flexibility and alignment with her son’s interests and well-being.

“In virtual learning, I can put him in different programs that actually spark his curiosity,” she says. “He has an interest in engineering, so I placed him in a program at the local museum. Afterwards, he had the ability to start working there. This is not an opportunity he would have had at his previous school.”

Parents Know Their Children Best

In her experience, brick-and-mortar schools often created barriers for parent involvement. “They don’t want the parents involved,” she explained. “I would ask how I could participate, but in virtual learning they embrace the parents. They know we know our kids.”

Kristen and her son tried to re-enter brick-and-mortar school because he thought he was ready and was craving more frequent socialization with his peers. However, he quickly realized that virtual school was where he thrived best. “After the first month, he was ready to go back to virtual learning,” Kristen said. Today, he is thriving not only academically but personally, taking up boxing, participating in community-based learning opportunities, and building friendships in ways that work for him.

Kristen developed her own program to ensure her son, and other local kids, had opportunities for social growth alongside their virtual education. Over the summer, she partnered with her church to take a group of 20 students to museums and other educational experiences.

According to Kristen, her son is now “a different kid.” He is involved and hands-on in his education. So much so that his friends are begging their parents to enroll them in virtual school, too. 

The Cost of Sacrifice

One of the most painful trade-offs Kristen has experienced has been the loss of essential support programs like the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

When her son was in a traditional school, the free and reduced-price lunch program gave her one less thing to worry about. “Knowing school lunch was available and he didn’t have to worry about being hungry gave me reassurance,” she said. “It made a difference because when I was trying to work, I didn’t have to worry about his next meal.”

Today, over 347,000 students who attend full-time virtual public schools are excluded from the NSLP, not because of need, but because of where they learn. As a parent to one of those students, Kristen remarks that every grocery list is a balancing act. “What I make goes to the bills. The budget is tight,” Kristen admitted. “I cut back and only purchase what we really need until I can get to the space to do more.”

“It has humbled me,” Kristen shares, “knowing I can't do it on my own.” Without the school lunch benefits, Kristen says she has to look for ways to get free food, making sure to never take more than she needs. 

“The food will come, the help I can find and hunt for. I’m more worried about safety. These are the things people in my community worry about.”

Kristen’s story is not unique. In fact, it reflects a growing reality for thousands of parents choosing virtual public schools: they are making sacrifices, including nutrition, to protect their children’s safety, health, and education.

The Path Ahead

Kristen plainly says, “The education system [in my city] is broken. Kids are not learning. They are cutting programs and buses. They are making it impossible to learn. Virtual learning is better.”

Kristen is starting her advocacy journey, not just for her son, but for families across Pennsylvania and beyond. She believes in the power of choice. She believes in the need for equity. And she believes that programs like the National School Lunch Program must be updated to reflect the realities of today’s students, including those in full-time virtual public schools.

“It's still an education! If a child is in the home learning, they should receive the same lunch benefits for the same education,” she insists.