Hilary Duff plans to let her son choose whether he goes back to in-person school

Around the world, parents are having to make hard choices about whether to send kids back to their physical classrooms as the pandemic continues.

For mom of two, Hilary Duff, the question isn’t just one for her to ponder, but one she’s going to ask her 8-year-old son to weigh in on as well.

Luca experienced remote learning earlier this year, Duff tells People, and while Duff would like to see him back at school she wants Luca to have some control over the choice, especially if his classroom ends up looking and feeling too different.

“Luca goes to private school, and we’re just waiting to see what happens,” Duff tells People. “For his emotional well-being, I think it would be great if he could go back to school, but also it depends on what that looks like.”

“If it’s just strictly learning and no social interaction … I guess I would let him make the choice,” she explains. “If he was going and it was super sterile and it wasn’t benefiting him [in a social way], I would be up for remote learning again.”

Time will tell whether Luca and many other kids end up back in their classrooms or back at their kitchen tables this fall. It’s clear that there is no one-size-fits-all solution here. For some kids, a return to the classroom may be best, but for others, staying home will be. No one should be judging parents for the decisions they make during this difficult time—what’s best for Luca may look totally different than what’s best for one of his classmates or a child in a different school.

Duff has the resources to send Luca to private school or keep him home. These are choices many families don’t have.

Ultimately, families are going to have to make the best choice for their individual circumstances. We’re glad Duff is helping further the conversation by talking about her fraught decision publicly.