NEXT WEEK: Missouri School Choice Week Celebrants Aim to Shake Up School Searches for Good

Gov. Mike Parson Issues Proclamation Recognizing Jan. 23-29 as Missouri School Choice Week

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Jan 20, 2022, 06:30 ET

JEFFERSON CITY, Miss., Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Families need flexible learning options. That's the message Missouri families and educators are bringing to their celebrations of National School Choice Week 2022.

Missouri schools, organizations, and individuals are planning 460 celebrations for the Week, which will feature more than 26,000 activities nationwide. Among the biggest events in Missouri will be capital rally celebrations on Wednesday, Jan. 26 and Thursday, Jan. 27 highlighting private school access and virtual school options. There will also be a city-wide open house event for families in Kansas City to explore public school options on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Across the country, more than two dozen U.S. landmarks and notable buildings will light up in special colors to mark the Week. In Missouri, the Kansas City Power and Light Building will light up in yellow on Jan. 29.

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.

"Thanks to the work of parents and school leaders, school choice options in Missouri continue to expand," said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. "In addition to strong public-sector education options including open enrollment programs for traditional public schools, full-time online public schools, public magnet schools, and a thriving public charter school sector, Missouri recently took steps towards improving access to private education through the creation of a new education savings account."

Here in Missouri, there are a variety of educational options available including: traditional public schools with some limitations to open enrollment, charter schools, magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling. Starting in 2022, Missouri students currently enrolled in public school or about to enter kindergarten may be eligible for the state's new education savings account program, which allows families to use their education tax dollars for private school tuition, tutoring, or other educational expenses.

To raise awareness of these options, Gov. Mike Parson officially proclaimed Jan. 23-29 to be Missouri School Choice Week. Across the state, additional communities are celebrating School Choice Week by formally proclaiming it, including the cities of Kansas City, Belton, Berkeley, Wentzville, and Scott City, and the counties of Schulyer and Henry.

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

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 Missouri events at schoolchoiceweek.com/missouri.

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