Bishop Introduces Bill to Increase School Choice for Families During Continued Closures

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Dan Bishop released the following statement after introducing the Creating Hope and Opportunity through Increased Choice in Education (CHOICE) Act which authorizes "Opportunity Grants" for families denied in-person education.

"The science has been consistent and clear: schools can safely reopen for in-person instruction. The recent experiment with virtual learning has failed, and everyday our schools remain closed our children fall further behind. My bill will ensure that families denied in-person instruction because of cynical union bosses have the choice to receive quality in-person instruction regardless of income or zip code," said Rep. Dan Bishop

"AFC is grateful to Congressman Bishop for introducing this important legislation, which will directly empower families whose children have been denied a full time education by their public schools. Congress has already appropriated almost $68 billion for K-12 COVID relief, much of which remains unspent. It is long past time for Congress to bypass the public school bureaucracies and provide funding directly to families," said John Schilling, President, American Federation for Children.

"The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is pleased to support Rep. Dan Bishop's (R-North Carolina) CHOICEAct. The bill gives vulnerable families more education options for their children in a way that respects both the families and the school choices they may make. Equipping families to make their own choices is the way forward. The CHOICE Act is the kind of creativity Americans need from their leaders in these challenging times," said P. George Tryfiates, Director of Government Affairs for the Association of Christian Schools International.

The CHOICE Act would require that 10% of any future K-12 emergency funding be used to fund Opportunity Grants. Grants would be available to families residing in school districts that have not resumed in-person instruction consistent with the 2019-2020 school year. The grants could be used to finance costs associated with private school tuition, homeschooling, private tutoring, learning pods, micro schools and educational materials. The bill prohibits any federal control or influence over curriculum, creed, practices, and admissions policies and forbids discrimination against private, religious and home education providers.