Sending kids to school shouldn’t be an act of courage — but for many families, it is.
Just one mile from my home, at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh, there was a stabbing. During this horrifically violent episode, kids texted with their parents to let them know they were ok.
“I’m fine,” wrote one student, “but I’m scared.”
That text message should stop every policymaker in their tracks. When kids fear for their physical safety at school, the debate over education reform is no longer theoretical — it’s urgent and deeply human.
For many Pennsylvania families, safety is one of the primary reasons they move their kids out of district schools when they have the option. Gallup polling finds that four out of 10 parents fear for their kids’ physical safety at school.
Enrollment figures reflect this sentiment, too. Since the covid-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania has lost tens of thousands of students from district schools. Enrollment has steadily declined year after year, mirroring a national trend of nearly 2 million students leaving traditional public schools since 2020.
Why is enrollment declining? Indeed, declining birth rates over the past few decades have contributed to these dwindling numbers.
But preferences have also changed. Homeschooling is up. Since 2020, homeschooling has increased by 72%, with spikes in 40 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
Families are making tough choices — not because they are disengaged, but because they are paying attention. Parents are responding to real conditions in the classrooms and the hallways: rising reports of school violence, chronic absenteeism and underwhelming academic outcomes — all despite increased spending on public education.
In Pennsylvania, public education spending has reached historic highs. The Keystone State ranks seventh nationally in per-pupil spending.
But while the commonwealth’s spending ranks high, academic rankings don’t fare as well. According to statewide testing, more than half of Pennsylvania students read below grade level. Too many students remain behind grade level in reading and math, and too many families feel unheard when they raise concerns about safety or support.
Yet, instead of expanding opportunity, Pennsylvania continues to chip away at educational options and parent rights. Scholarship programs remain capped. Lawmakers and special interests oppose, block and veto educational choice initiatives, telling families that seeking alternatives undermines public education. What school districts need, they claim, is more money and more time to right the ship.
However, families living in this reality are asking a far more critical question: How long do kids have to wait? For a child stuck in an unsafe or ineffective school, years-long reform is not progress — it’s an eternity. A fourth-grader who can’t read on grade level doesn’t get those years back. A teenager fearing school violence doesn’t get a do-over.
Meanwhile, the system continues to lose students. Pennsylvania’s school-age population is declining. Families are moving, homeschooling, enrolling in private or charter schools, or leaving the state altogether. That should tell us something. When parents have even a small amount of agency, they use it to seek safer and more responsive environments for their children.
And that brings us to the heart of this issue: parental rights.
Parents are the first and most important advocates for their kids. Limiting education options limits parents’ ability to protect and support their kids. When policymakers prioritize systems over students, they send a clear message that family voices are secondary. That is not how a healthy education system functions.
This debate reminds me of the biblical story of Solomon. Two adults claimed the same child. One was willing to fight over her share, even if it meant harming the child. The other was willing to give up her claim to keep the child whole. Solomon knew immediately who the true parent was.
Today, we face the same moral test. Who is fighting to keep kids safe, educated and supported? And who is fighting over funding and control, even as families leave and children suffer?
Education reform should not be about protecting institutions. It should be about protecting kids and empowering families. Real reform means listening to parents, expanding options, and recognizing that safety, dignity, and opportunity cannot wait.
Our children don’t have the luxury of time. And neither should we.
Sharon Sedlar is president and CEO of PA Families for Education Choice.