Perseverance and some timely assistance from HSLDA recently helped a California teen get one step closer to her goal of pursuing a career in the military.

Inspired by her older sister currently serving in the US Air Force, 13-year-old Anabella Silva approached her mom at the end of the last school year to ask if she could enroll in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC). The teen was especially interested in the JROTC program run by the local public high school, which is patterned after the Air Force.

Angelina Silva agreed to contact the school on behalf of her daughter, half expecting to be told that, as an 8th-grader, Anabella was too young to participate. What she heard from officials caught her off guard.

“It actually took a long time to get someone to respond to me,” Angelina recalled. When officials did reply, they insisted that Annabella could not participate in JROTC due to her homeschool status. To gain access to the program, they encouraged Angelina to enroll her daughter in the district’s charter school.

No Turning Back

Angelina reflected on how much homeschooling has benefitted her family and realized she had no intention of giving it up.

The Silvas switched to home educating their youngest children in 2020, when schools shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Their five older children have since graduated.)

“That first year was very difficult,” Angelina said. “It was a big transition.”

After sampling various curricula, co-ops, and support groups, they finally found the homeschool combination that worked for their family.

“Everything has just fallen into place,” Angelina said.

Part of their approach is to limit their children’s access to cell phones and social media. By reducing these distractions, said Angelina, “they get to focus on what they like, and what interests them.”

For Anabella, this has led to accelerated academics. This fall she is taking dual-enrollment courses at a local community college with the goal of earning an associate’s degree in the administration of justice by the time she turns 17.

Trying Again

With this opportunity materializing, Angelina decided to find out whether homeschooling really would exclude her daughter from JROTC.

The family had been members for several years, already. “I reached out to HSLDA just to clarify,” she said.

HSLDA Senior Counsel Will Estrada explained that federal law was on her side. He followed up by sending a letter to school district officials on behalf of the family.

We were told there might be a time when we would need help with homeschooling, and this was definitely the time.
Angelina Silva, homeschool parent

He wrote: “Federal law grants homeschool students the same right to access JROTC programs as their public school counterparts.”

Shortly before the new school year was scheduled to begin, the family received an email from the district saying Anabella was approved to enroll in JROTC. The teen began the program last week.

“She’s really excited,” Angelina said. “The other students in the program have been very welcoming.”

Access to Advocacy

“We’re grateful to the district for their timeliness in accepting Anabella into JROTC,” Estrada said. “It’s an issue HSLDA continues to deal with, even though federal law is so clear about granting access to homeschoolers.”

Angelina added that HSLDA’s effective advocacy makes her glad she became a member.

“We were told there might be a time when we would need help with homeschooling, and this was definitely the time,” she said. “I appreciate you guys so much!”