Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) addressed fellow lawmakers on Wednesday after he announced that he is endorsing the CHOICE Act, legislation that aims to increase access to quality education.
Authored and introduced by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the CHOICE Act would ensure that disabled children are matched with the proper options and resources for them; provide additional choices for the children and family of military personnel; and expand educational opportunities for low-income families within Washington, DC.
“Students with disabilities, military dependent students, and the most under-served in our DC public schools shouldn’t be lost in our education system,” Hatch said. “This legislation will make sure that parents can give their children the best possible education our system has to offer.”
If enacted, many provisioned educational programs will be activated at the local levels in order to achieve these goals.
“Access to a quality education empowers individuals, changes families and strengthens communities,” Hatch added. “I have seen firsthand in my own life how powerful education is, not just for the individual, but for all those connected to that student. Today, however, not all of our children, through no fault of their own, have access to a quality education that allows them to reach their full God-given potential. I believe that it is critical that we work together to provide every child with a good education and not get caught up in the politics. The CHOICE Act will do that… .”
Many educational organizations across the country have endorsed the CHOICE Act, including the Association of Christian Schools International, Heritage Action, Orthodox Union, American Association of Christian Schools, PublicSchoolOptions.org, the Palmetto Policy Forum in South Carolina, Lexington Institute and the American Enterprise Institute.