Senator Scott Welcomes School Choice Champions to U.S. Capitol During National School Choice Week

WASHINGTON – This evening, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), co-chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, welcomed over one hundred school choice stakeholders to the United States Capitol, including students, parents and leaders of the school choice movement.

“As a kid growing up in poverty, one of the challenges that my mother faced was finding the right school for her kid. I went to four different elementary schools by the fourth grade because there’s a transient nature in poverty,” said Senator Scott. “Today, because of so many people in this room, I get to stand on your shoulders and advocate for kids I will never meet. Those kids will shape this nation because they had parents who were able to find the right school for their kids, and that is the right future for our nation. I’m happy to be a conduit for that greatness to manifest on the national scene.”

Senator Scott was joined by School Choice Caucus members Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

BACKGROUND

Senator Scott is celebrating National School Choice Week with a series of events and initiatives:

1. On Monday, Senator Scott joined South Carolina Superintendent Ellen Weaver on a school visit to Orange Grove Charter School in Charleston; and
2. Senator Scott, along with Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), led their colleagues in introducing a resolution designating January 21 through January 27, 2024, as National School Choice Week.

Senator Scott has fought to provide all Americans access to a quality education by:

1. Calling out a teachers union-allied group for weaponizing race to promote its anti-school choice agenda;
2. Introducing the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, which affirms parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child;
3. Slamming Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Board of Education President Jianan Shi for the city’s recently passed resolution that could eliminate school choice for Chicago families, strip minority and low-income students of their preferred high schools and widen the achievement gap;
4. Leading the fight to protect high-quality, tuition-free charter schools that serve disadvantaged students when the Biden administration took steps to undermine charter schools;
5. Championing the Educational Choice for Children Act to expand educational freedom and opportunity for millions of students by creating $10 billion annually in scholarships for K-12 students;
6. Introducing the CHOICE Act to give more than 6.2 million students nationwide, primarily students from military and low-income families and students with disabilities, access to quality education of their choosing;
7. Hosting the largest ever National School Choice Week Student Rally at the U.S. Capitol, which was attended by more than 300 students from 10 D.C.-area public charter and private schools;
8. Leading two bipartisan Senate resolutions – National Charter School Week and National School Choice Week – both of which unanimously passed, raising attention to critical education issues and priorities; and
9. Securing House passage of his Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their (PROTECT) Kids Act to protect parental rights and ensure parents remain the lead decision makers in their child’s life.