U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Feb. 2 sponsored a bill to expand opportunity through greater choice in education for students with disabilities.
“A quality education is the closest thing to magic in America,” said Sen. Scott. “When parents have the choice to send their child to a school that best fits their needs, their kids have the best opportunity to succeed.”
The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education (CHOICE) Act, S. 266, which Sen. Scott introduced alongside five Republican original cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), would provide parents greater options for educating their children.
“As a kid, I attended four different schools by the time I was in fourth grade,” Sen. Scott said. “I know firsthand the life-changing impact of a quality education, and I’ve witnessed the miracles that can happen when parents have the choice my mother never had.”
If enacted, S. 266 would eliminate barriers preventing parents from gaining the information necessary to determine the best school to effectively serve their child’s needs, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Scott’s staff.
Additionally, the bill would expand school choice programs by permitting states with established programs for parents of disabled children to use public or private funds to pay for their children to attend a private school and to supplement those funds with federal special education funds, the summary says.
The bill also would authorize grants to support the design and initial implementation of state programs that allow the parents of a disabled child to choose the appropriate public or private school for their child, according to the summary.
The measure has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.