Largest school choice rally in Alabama history to be led by civil rights leaders; participants to demand more education options for families at event during National School Choice Week
MONTGOMERY – School choice supporters and civil rights leaders will gather for a historic march on Montgomery, Alabama, to demand greater school choice in the Yellowhammer State, organizers have announced.
The march and rally, which will take place on Wednesday, January 28, will be led by civil rights champion Dr. Howard Fuller and education reform leader Kevin P. Chavous. More than 2,000 students, parents, teachers, community leaders, and elected officials from across the state are expected to attend, sending a clear message that leaders in Montgomery must dedicate themselves to protecting and expanding K-12 educational choices for children and families.
The march and rally will begin at 9 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Montgomery, and attendees will march to the South Lawn of the Alabama Capitol, where community leaders, students, and parents will speak. The event is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week, which will be America’s largest-ever celebration of opportunity in education.
“The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund is honored to be part of a movement that is changing lives and saving generations,” said Sonya DiCarlo of the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund. “Parents across the state are knocking down our doors to apply for scholarships that will open the doors to educational opportunity. It’s time to celebrate something that has never before been available in the state of Alabama, choice in education.”
“The Alabama Federation for Children is excited that families across the state of Alabama finally have a choice when it comes to the education of their children,” said Ryan Cantrell of American Federation for Children – Alabama. “This National School Choice Week event will give us the chance to celebrate the success stories of students who have been able to take advantage of scholarships through the Alabama Accountability Act, while also rallying for more types of educational options.”
“BAEO is incredibly excited to see steam building behind our movement to bring high-quality educational options to low-income and working-class families of Alabama. National School Choice Week is the perfect time to highlight our state’s private school scholarships made possible by the Alabama Accountability Act as well as to talk about how far we have to go in pushing for added options in our public education infrastructure,” said Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) Alabama State Director Duncan Kirkwood. “We’re proud to be a part of National School Choice Week and we’re looking forward to continuing the push for choice in the New Year.”
“The Foundation for Excellence in Education is excited to be a part of this annual celebration, and we applaud the growing momentum for increased school choice in Alabama,” said Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “Assigning students to schools based on ZIP code should be a practice of the past. We must redouble our efforts to widen the doors of opportunity to every family and empower millions of parents with access to a quality education that best suits the needs of their child.”
The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, StudentsFirst Alabama, the American Federation for Children, the Alabama Business Education Alliance, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the Alabama Public Charter School Alliance, and the Business Council of Alabama are working together to plan the event.
Celebrated every year in January, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on all types of effective education options for children, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online learning, and homeschooling. The celebration is nonpartisan and nonpolitical. National School Choice Week 2015 will feature a history-making 11,000 independently planned and independently funded events across all 50 states.
