In America it seems as if human rights are under attack. It doesn’t matter if it’s voter suppression, affordable housing or medical care, abortion, citizenship or sexual preference, we are reverting back to a time where particular groups feel entitled to tell others how they should live. Even parents are in jeopardy of losing their right to send their child to their school of choice.
We Need Local and National Action
Parents from all around the country are headed to Atlanta on this Wednesday to protest Elizabeth Warren’s education plan and Bernie Sanders’ stance on school choice. We cannot afford for our children to be displaced and disregarded any longer.
Even if you aren’t able to come to various demonstrations of support for school choice, you can help out by signing this petition telling them to fix their plan.
We Need More Action In Metro Atlanta!
Atlanta has always been a center for change and home of civil rights. But even parents in Metro Atlanta are joining together to support school choice and their right to choose which school they want their children to be educated in. Simply having school choice in major cities is not enough. In Georgia, I believe that all school districts should offer various types of settings for children to learn.
History proves that the fight for educational equality is still happening. Our educational system unfortunately was set up to educate children fail, we find other means to educate them. For the past 25 years, public charter schools have served as viable options for families that need access to public education options that serve them best. Yet, recent Democratic presidential candidates have proposed education plans that would eliminate charter schools.
As November is National Family Engagement Month, I believe we should be providing parents with educational options and support with advocating for the changes they desire to see in their public schools. Several school choice leaders in Atlanta are doing more than talking about ensuring parents have the right to choose but they’re taking action to ensure that all children have quality schools and parents have the opportunity to engage in school choice.
One way parents can be engaged for National Family Engagement Month is to reach out to their local school board members. Ask them in what ways are they supporting school choice in their district. In Georgia, school choice is growing but there are many communities where parents still aren’t being afforded the right to choose what setting is best for their child.
As Black and Brown people, we see these attacks on public charter schools. It is an attack on our right to choose the best educational environment for our children.
Dr. Howard Fuller is asking you to join 200 parents and students on November 20, 2019, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Tyler Perry Studios to show the Presidential Candidates that we believe in charters schools and school choice.
Let’s not simply talk about it, let’s be about the business of ensuring our children have quality schools.
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.