ST. GEORGE — It’s National School Choice Week in Utah and across the country.
The cities of Enterprise, Helper, Naples and Pleasant Grove, along with Gov. Herbert, have issued official proclamations recognizing Jan. 22-28 as “School Choice Week.”
With a goal of raising public awareness of effective education options for children, National School Choice Week will be the largest celebration of education options in U.S. history, organizers say.
There are 21,392 events scheduled nationwide to raise awareness about K-12 school choice, and more than 100 planned in Utah.
Highlighted events in Utah include a large school choice celebration Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Utah State Capitol at which Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and others will speak.
Other events throughout Utah include information sessions, open houses, rallies, policy discussions and movie screenings organized by community groups.
“I think there’s a general consensus that people believe in choice,” Enterprise Mayor Lee Bracken said. Choices in education – or any other aspect of people’s lives – are a good thing, he said, and that’s why Enterprise proclaimed this week to be School Choice Week.
While Bracken doesn’t endorse any particular educational option now available, he believes decisions about education should be made on a local level.
“I’m very much opposed to federal mandates and any kind of education control,” Bracken said.
National School Choice Week provides families in Utah the opportunity to research and evaluate the K-12 school choices available for their children in advance of the 2017-2018 school year. It also raises awareness of the importance of providing every child with effective education options.
“Students, parents, teachers and community leaders in Utah have a lot to celebrate during National School Choice Week,” Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, said. “Utah has long been a pioneer in providing a diversity of K-12 education options for children and families.”
School choice options available for Utah families
According to National School Choice Week’s organizers, families in Utah can look for K-12 schools this week for the 2017-2018 school year.
Parents in Utah can choose from the following education options for their children:
- Traditional public schools.
- Public charter schools.
- Magnet schools.
- Online academies.
- Private schools.
- Homeschooling.
Utah allows parents to select the best traditional public school, regardless of where the school is located and has a program that allows qualifying children to receive scholarships to attend private schools in some cases.
About National School Choice Week
National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort spotlighting effective education options for children, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online learning and home schooling.
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