By Beth Purcell
Friday morning I celebrated an issue near and dear to my heart: school choice! Both of my children have benefited from the educational options available to us in South Carolina. And for a couple hours of today, in the packed Florida Theater in Jacksonville, I heard many stories that reminded me of my own.
Successful students, dedicated parents, Florida’s Teacher of the Year, Reverend H.K. Matthews, Jeanne Allen, and several other school choice advocates shared their stories about how the opportunity to choose their best learning environment has positively affected their lives. We danced the cupid shuffle and electric slide, took selfies, and rang in the official start of National School Choice Week.
As I think about what this week means to me, my family, and our ability to choose, I’m encouraged by the number of community leaders, elected officials, and countless supporters who have chosen to trust parents with one of the most important decisions in a child’s life: where, how, and by whom they will be educated.
