When schools closed in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lisa Klose says it was the best thing that could’ve happened for her daughter, Abby. “I think we’re the only family that Covid really helped,” Klose says. All the way through 6th grade, Abby was a typical, seemingly well-adjusted public-school student in Galloway. She kept her grades up and spent her free time on the family’s horse ranch, training for the rodeo events she competes in, Klose says. In middle school, things changed and Abby started getting into trouble at school and at home. Her grades were slipping. As Abby – and her mom – were suffering through 8th grade, the pandemic suddenly shuttered her school, and everything changed again; this time, for the better. Abby thrived as a virtual student and was able to improve, both her grades and her rodeo skills. When schools reopened, it was clear going back wasn’t the right choice for Abby, now 14. Instead, as high school began, she enrolled in a self-directed sch...