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Western Washington University history professor Johann Neem, an expert on America’s public schools, said he worries the collision of longstanding GOP goals on private school choice with parents’ immediate needs in a crisis could erode support for public education.

Across the nation, parents with the financial means to do so are choosing between homeschooling, paying for private schools, hiring private tutors or getting together with other parents to hire a teacher for a “pod” of students, Neem said.  

“Parents are trying to do what’s right for their children in a tough situation,” he said. “My fear is, if a lot of parents start opting out and say, ‘This works for me, and I can provide my kids what I want,’ then we’ll end up with a system” that harkens back to the 18th century of education being a private responsibility, leaving “charity schools for people left behind.”