Rally at Ohio Capitol to Celebrate Buckeye State's Leadership on School Choice, 1/26

Event organized by coalition of 12 Ohio groups will cheer Ohio's status as a national pioneer on school choice

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Jan 21, 2015, 07:00 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and community leaders will rally in Columbus on Monday, January 26 to celebrate the Buckeye State's commitment to providing quality school choices for families, education choice advocates said today.

The event, which will take place at 10:00 am at the CAPA Theatre – Riff Center near the Ohio Capitol, will feature student and parent speakers representing traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, homeschooling organizations, and virtual schools.

The goal of the rally is to raise awareness of Ohio's status as a national leader in providing quality school choice options for children, while educating parents and the community about the school choice options available to individual families.

The rally is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (January 25-31, 2015), which will be America's largest-ever celebration of opportunity in education.

"School Choice Ohio is excited to participate in National School Choice Week," said Matt Cox of School Choice Ohio. "Across the state of Ohio parents, teachers, and students are showing their support for expanded educational options, and School Choice Ohio is committed to helping families find a learning environment that allows children to grow and thrive."

"The Ohio Council of Community Schools is honored to take part in National School Choice Week – a one-of-a-kind celebration that rallies together supporters of all types of school choice," said Adrianne C. Shreve of Ohio Council of Community Schools. "Here in Ohio, where choice and charter schooling can be controversial in some circles, it is refreshing to set aside one day to unite toward a common goal and to remember that all children deserve high-quality educational options. Charter schools fulfill that need for the students and families who attend our sponsored schools, but we appreciate other schools fulfilling other children's needs and recognize the value of having diverse, high-quality options."

The celebration is being planned by an unprecedented coalition of statewide and national, including: School Choice Ohio, the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the Ohio Council of Community Schools, Agudath Israel, the American Federation for Children, Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, Parents Advancing Choice in Education, KidsOhio, StudentsFirst Ohio, Fordham Foundation, and the Ohio Department of Education.

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.

For more information, contact:
Kaleigh Frazier, School Choice Ohio
[email protected] or (614) 223-1555

SOURCE National School Choice Week