It’s looking less and less likely that public schools in populated areas will reopen this fall. And if they do, the students will need to follow so many new health-related requirements that parents have begun to wonder whether it’s even worth it.

The good news is they have options. A growing number of families, many of whom are still concerned about the coronavirus, are looking into homeschooling groups so that their children remain social, active, and physically safe. Others are turning to private schools that plan to open for in-person education. If anything, this ability to choose is a “silver lining,” according to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has long argued that the federal government should have as little to do with education as possible.