House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

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Parental Choice as Crime?

We’re not in the business of defending individuals who break state or local law, but something just rubs us the wrong way when parents are imprisoned for wanting the best education for their kids.  Last week, Yolanda Hill appeared in the Greece Town Court in New York for a preliminary hearing to answer charges that she illegally enrolled her children in Greece schools. Though she lives in Rochester, she used her children’s grandmother’s address to establish a false residency because the Greece school system could provide a better education for her kids.  According to her teenage daughter, Santazcha Hill, "My mom only did what was right because she loved us.  She's not a criminal." 

We’re not arguing about the merits of state residency programs, whether parents should be required to pay tuition charges to school districts if their kids aren’t residents, or the ability of states such as New York to set their own education laws.  But it sure doesn't say much about educational opportunity in this country when parents feel they have no choice but to break the law in order to ensure that their kids are achieving academically. 

For years, House Republicans have worked to ensure that parents are able to choose to send their children to higher performing public or private schools if their children’s schools fell short in providing a quality education.  From Cleveland and Milwaukee to Florida and Washington, D.C., Congress, states, and local communities have been embracing parental empowerment in education.  When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), it made it possible for students to transfer to better performing public schools – including charter schools – within the school district or receive additional educational services, such as private tutoring.  But even with these new options (which some in the education establishment are attempting to weaken, see here), it remains clear that there is more work left to do. 

If Democrats in Congress and the new Administration are truly serious about education reform, they must get truly serious about giving parents the tools they need for their children to thrive.  That starts by empowering parents with more choice.

Posted by Education Policy Staff (02-20-2009, 05:03 PM) filed under School Choice

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