NEXT WEEK: Dust off the Yellow Scarves, School Choice Week is Back in North Carolina

Gov. Roy Cooper Issues Proclamation Recognizing Jan. 23-29 as North Carolina School Choice Week

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Jan 20, 2022, 06:30 ET

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents, if someone is making choices for your child's education, shouldn't it be you? That's the message North Carolina families and educators are bringing to their celebrations this National School Choice Week.

North Carolina schools, organizations, and individuals are planning 838 celebrations for the Week, which will feature more than 26,000 activities nationwide. Among the notable events in North Carolina will be a charter school fair on Saturday, Jan. 22 and a homeschool day at Star City Skate & Play in Raleigh leading up to the Week.

More than two dozen U.S. landmarks and notable buildings will light up in special colors to mark the Week. In North Carolina, the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem will light up from sunset to sunrise throughout School Choice Week. The Wells Fargo Duke Energy Center will also be lit on January 23.

The Week's celebrations focus on community building, sharing student and teacher successes, and raising awareness about how to put kids first when it comes to education. The goal? Supporting families and highlighting schools so more kids can find learning fits where they thrive.

"North Carolina families should be proud of the progress the state has made, over the past decade, towards expanding school choice options," said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. "Just this past year, the Tar Heel state once again enhanced education options by providing more funding for private school scholarships, in addition to the state's public, charter, magnet, online, and home education options."

Here in North Carolina, there are a variety of educational options available including: traditional public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling. North Carolina's students with disabilities, or whose families meet certain income guidelines, can qualify for state-run scholarships.

To raise awareness of these options, Gov. Roy Cooper officially proclaimed Jan. 23-29 to be North Carolina School Choice Week. Across the state, additional communities are celebrating School Choice Week by formally proclaiming it, including the cities of Asheville, Kernersville, Plymouth, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest, West Jefferson, Unionville, Fairview, Sunset Beach, China Grove, Rocky Mount, Matthews, Mint Hill, Troutman, and Kinston, the towns of Pineville and Franklin, and the counties of Dare and Lee.

To download a guide to North Carolina school choice, use the school finder tool to search schools in your area, or see celebration photos and proclamation updates, visit schoolchoiceweek.com/north-carolina.

Local celebrants are available to discuss their plans with reporters upon request. For more information, send us the specifics of your coverage area at [email protected], or preview a sampling of North Carolina events at schoolchoiceweek.com/north-carolina.

National School Choice Week shines a spotlight on effective K-12 education options for children, focusing equally on traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private, and home education options. Every January, participants plan tens of thousands of celebrations –– such as school fairs and open houses–– to raise awareness about school choice across all 50 states. School Choice Week also develops resources and guides to K-12 education for families. As a not-for-profit effort, the Week is nonpolitical and nonpartisan and does not advocate for legislation. For more information visit schoolchoiceweek.com.

SOURCE National School Choice Week