The Sunshine State plays key role in National School Choice Week, the largest celebration of educational opportunity in US history.
TALLAHASSEE–– National School Choice Week begins today in Florida and across the country. There are 2763 events planned in the Sunshine State to raise awareness about K-12 school choice, and 21,392 events nationwide.
The events in Florida, which are independently planned and independently funded, include everything from information sessions and open houses at schools to rallies, policy discussions, and movie screenings organized by community groups. Highlighted events include a large youth and schooling celebration day January 21 at 10 a.m. at Pasco Safety Town in Trinity, FL.
The counties of Volusia, Gilchrist, Orange, Glades, Okaloosa, Hardee, and Walton; cities of Atlantic Beach, Aventura, Bay Harbor, Belle Isle, Bonita Springs, Bradenton Beach, Brooksville, Cocoa, Cooper City, Crystal River, Davenport, Deerfield Beach, Eatonville, Edgewood, Flager Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Walton Beach, Freeport, Greenacres, Havana, Indialantic, Indian River Shores, Indian Shores, Inglis, Jacksonville, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Wales, Lakeland, Largo, Maitland, Melbourne, Miami, Miami Shores Village, North Bay Village, Opa-locka, Palmetto, Panama City, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Port St. Lucie, Redington Beach, Rockledge, Safety Harbor, South Daytona, Springfield, Tarpon Springs, Vero Beach, and Winter Springs; and Governor Scott have issued official proclamations recognizing January 22-28, 2017 as “School Choice Week.”
National School Choice Week provides families in Florida with the opportunity to research and evaluate the K-12 school choices available for their children in advance of the 2017-2018 school year. The Week also raises awareness of the importance of providing every child with effective education options.
“We are excited to be part of the 21,000 School Choice Week events taking place around the country,” said Wendy Howard, a longtime school choice advocate. “Our free event offers a fun-filled family day with lots of activities and performers while providing parents with all of the necessary information on all of the school choice options available to them.”
“As a Floridian, I am grateful that millions of Floridians will be celebrating National School Choice Week 2017,” said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, “There are more school choice events in Florida this week than in any other state, and that is testament to the hard work of so many people across the state in continuing to provide, protect, and enhance education options for children and families.”
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 US history.
SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR FLORIDA FAMILIES
According to National School Choice Week’s organizers, families in Florida can use the Week to look for K-12 schools for the 2017-2018 school year. Parents in the Sunshine State can choose from the following education options for their children: traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online academies, private schools, and homeschooling. The state also allows parents to select the best traditional public school, regardless of where the school is located. The state also has a program allowing qualifying children, in some cases, to receive scholarships to attend private schools.
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 homeschooling. The Week runs from January 22-28, 2017. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com.