News

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act (CHOICE Act). The CHOICE Act will expand opportunities and foster success by providing parents greater options when it comes to their child’s education.
 
“American students’ potential should not be limited by the zip code their family can afford to live in,” Rubio said. “I am proud to partner with Senator Scott to empower and enable families to choose education options that best suit the unique needs of their children.”
 
“As the product of a poor, single-parent household, I have always been a champion of school choice. And as the coronavirus pandemic has shown us, the need for educational options is more vital today than ever before,” Scott said. “The sad reality is too many students lack access to a quality education because of their zip code, and that is simply unacceptable. Commonsense solutions like my CHOICE Act will empower families to choose the best schools for their children and put parents in charge.”
 
“When moms and dads go to bat for their kids, we’ve got to have their backs. With roughly one-third of school districts offering virtual-only learning, families need the opportunity to seek out educational options that work best for their kids,” Sasse said. “Parents with children who have disabilities need the flexibility to customize their kids’ education to provide the best educational and social support. That’s what our bill does. These kids deserve the best – and school choice gives them a chance to meet their needs.”
 
“Students and parents everywhere deserve a choice in education,” Wicker said. “I am glad to join Senator Tim Scott to introduce the CHOICE Act, which will help give parents of students with special needs and those who live on military bases more options for learning.”
 
“Parents, not the government, should be making educational decisions for their children,” Cornyn said. “A good education helps lay the foundation for future success, and this legislation would empower families, particularly those with children with special needs, to help ensure their children have access to a quality education that works best for them.”
 
Background: 

• This legislation would support parents by eliminating barriers to seek the information necessary to determine a best-fit school that can effectively serve their child’s needs.
• Expands school choice programs by permitting states that have established programs for parents of children with disabilities to use public or private funds for the cost of their children attending a private school to supplement those funds with federal special education funds. 
• Authorizes grants to support the design and initial implementation of state programs that allow the parents of a child with disabilities to choose the appropriate public or private school for their child.
• Establishes a five-year pilot program, within the Department of Defense, to award scholarships that enable military dependent students, who live on military installations, to attend the public or private elementary or secondary schools their parents choose.