Sen. Tim Scott Hosts Back to School Parent Town Hall
U.S. Senator Tim Scott recently addressed the top concerns in the minds of parents seeking to go back to face to face learning by hosting a Back To School Parent Town Hall on Facebook Live.
Yvette DeMaria, a fellow South Carolinian and My SC Education “Education Choice Ambassador,” was one of the parents who joined the call. DeMaria noted that schools nationwide have received over $190 billion in education funding (with SC receiving $3 billion!) and asked the Senator if anything could be done since none of that money is going directly to families to help support the learning needs of their students.
Senator Scott replied that this sad reality is why he and his colleagues have worked on a bill called the School Choice Now Act which would help parents who chose to homeschool or were forced to do virtual schooling because of COVID. This bill would provide scholarships to help students access an education environment that best fits their needs.
The Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed educational pandemonium that has caused parents, like Yvette, to ponder new solutions to help their children succeed. Recently there has been an increase in support for more educational opportunities nationwide and state legislatures have been hard at work on bills to tie funding to students and their needs, not systems.
Though this has been encouraging for education freedom advocates and parents alike, many uncertainties for the schooling of America’s children remain. Senator Scott and his team answered many questions about school decisions that are affecting families and their children.
Whether it was about helping alleviate the mental health struggles of students, school mask mandates, or handling teachers’ unions. If you are a parent, most likely your question was asked in this recent event. Click here to watch the full FB Live broadcast to view the rest of the Q&A.
We believe that parents are the best decision maker to determine what type of education would meet the unique needs of their child. Senator Scott’s School Choice Now Act is not the only legislation that would empower South Carolina parents with this opportunity. Palmetto State lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would dedicate state dollars to education choice scholarships for qualifying students. If enacted, these Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) could fundamentally transform the futures of thousands of students across the state whose families can’t afford to customize their education.
Parents who are passionate about education must be equipped on it what it looks like to speak up for their right to make the best schooling decisions for their child. We are here to help! Click here to learn what it means to be a parent advocate. To become a parent advocate and participate in Education Choice Ambassador events, please contact Dr. Shaunette Parker at Shaunette@mysceducation.org.
