We are just weeks away from “back to school,” yet millions of parents do not know how or even where their children will be educated. A growing number of parents have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Seemingly overnight, microschools or “pandemic pods” have become ubiquitous. Fed up at being unable to send their children to school, parents have banded together to make their own schools. Countless Facebook groups helping families organize their own pods already have tens of thousands of members, with local chapters springing up nationwide.