National School Choice Week begins today in Florida and across the country. There are 2,057 events planned in the Sunshine State to raise awareness about K-12 school choice, and 16,140 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.

Governor Rick Scott, the mayors of Boynton Beach, Deltona, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Kissimmee, Lake, Lakeland, Largo, Lauderhill, Maitland, Melbourne, Miami, Miami Gardens, Orlando, Palm Bay, Pembroke Pines, Pensacola, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, and county leaders from Hernando, Marion, Nassau, Pasco, Sumter, Suwannee, and Walton counties have issued official proclamations recognizing January 24-30, 2016 as “School Choice Week.”

“Florida continues to be a national leader in offering parents a diverse variety of K-12 education choices for their children,” said Andrew R. Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. “Florida parents have more choices for their children’s education than parents in many other states. National School Choice Week will shine a positive spotlight on these options so that more parents can learn about the opportunities available to their kids, while raising awareness of the benefits of expanding educational opportunities to even more children.”

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 2016-2017 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. In some parts of the state, open enrollment policies allow 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 24-30, 2016. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com.