With the stroke of a pen, the government of British Columbia has pulled funding from a long-standing Christian online homeschool provider, leaving families across the province scrambling for answers.

Parents enrolled with Christian Homelearners eStreams (CHeS) were notified last week that the Ministry of Education has cancelled the school’s Group 1 certification, effective June 30, 2026. That decision forces the closure of the independent school that has served homeschooling families since 2002.

“We understand this is difficult and uncertain news, and we are committed to ensuring you are supported through this transition” the CheS school board wrote in an email to parents.

The message went on to further suggest that families begin the process of finding and enrolling in a new school.

For many families, this isn’t just about changing schools; it’s about losing a system that worked. As described on the B.C. government’s school site, CHeS provided individualized “Biblically based Provincial Online Learning option” for homeschool families.

“We care about family-friendly education and often place students with one main teacher who is sensitive to the needs of each student and family dynamic” the site's description reads.

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“This couldn’t come at a worse time,” CHeS parent and education assistant Lee-Ann Bates tells Rebel News. “It’s peak season for school enrollments in B.C. and many families already re-enrolled children at CHeS for next year.”

Bates warns that the sudden closure creates “uncertainty and additional stress” for families, especially for those with children with vulnerabilities like she worked with through the school.

“Many special needs students thrive on routine, and this will no doubt create additional challenges for many of them,” she said. Bates described the school as a rare success story, saying it offered individualized education that many traditional classrooms struggle to provide.

Bates also pointed out the irony between the socialist NDP government's signalling of standing for equity and social service, while pulling the educational rug from under such students who were thriving at CHeS.

To date, Minister of Education Lisa Beare has not responded to our inquiry to clarify the the specific reasoning behind the decision, and whether or not other independent schools could be next.

CHeS administrator Randy Andres respectfully declined an interview at this time, adding that the school is focusing on efforts to try and appeal the decision.

In a statement to Rebel News, B.C Conservative education critic MLA Lynne Block called the sudden displacement of the students “deeply concerning.”

“By eliminating funding and forcing closure, hundreds of students will be displaced from a learning environment that has long supported their unique needs” stated Block.

“CHeS offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional public schools. With funding significantly lower than per-student public school allocations, it still provides certified teacher support” said Block before recommending the government preserve the program that benefits families and relieves the overtaxed public system, instead of cancelling it.