Schools

Parents, Students Celebrate National School Choice Week at State Capitol Tuesday

The rally at the Georgia State Capitol will be one of 5,500 such events occurring nationwide during National School Choice Week

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More than 1,000 public, private and home school students and their parents will gather on the steps of the State Capitol on Jan. 28 for Georgia’s celebration of National School Choice Week.

Parents and students from throughout Georgia are invited to attend.   

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The event will be held from 1 to 2:15 pm on the Washington Street steps of the State Capitol.  Gov. Nathan Deal, who supported the 2012 referendum to help expand the number of charter schools, is scheduled to address the crowd.

“This is such an exciting time of year for parents and students as they come together to celebrate the progress that has been made in Georgia for educational freedom,” said Danielle LeSure, Ph.D. “However, much more needs to be done because unless they have the means, the vast majority of children in Georgia must attend a school based solely on their zip code, not because it’s the right fit for them.”

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Organizers of the event will urge Georgia legislators to create new school choice programs that empower parents to be able to choose a school that works best for their children. They will urge lawmakers to continue to support existing programs as well, such as Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship that allows children with disabilities to earn a voucher to attend a private school.

“Georgia is moving in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go to be able to offer all parents and children who want school choice the opportunity to pick a school that works for them,” LeSure said.

The event at the State Capitol will include talks by parents, legislators and actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, who as a child appeared in “The Cosby Show” and more recently in “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.”

Participants are expected to rally for educational freedom and celebrate the successes of charter schools, online learning, home schools, and magnet schools, special need voucher and tax credit scholarship programs now available in Georgia.


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