Thousands of Students to Converge on Columbia for State Rally Celebrating School Choice at the Capitol

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Jan 18, 2023, 06:00 ET

Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, Sen. Greg Hembree and Rep. Shannon Erickson to Participate

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of students, parents, and educators will march from the USC Alumni Center to the steps of the South Carolina Capitol next week to raise awareness of K–12 school choice in the Palmetto State. The march and subsequent Capitol rally will be the largest school choice celebrations in the state's history.

The event will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Starting at 11:15 AM, more than 1,500 participants will march from the USC Alumni Center (900 Senate Street in Columbia) to the outdoor steps of the South Carolina Capitol (1100 Gervais Street in Columbia) for a celebratory rally at 11:45 AM. South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, along with state representatives and senators.

Hosted by My SC Education, the rally will feature remarks, band performances, cheers, and from students representing more than 25 traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, virtual, and home education options. Participants will travel from Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Belton, Charleston, James Island, Meggett, Myrtle Beach, North Charleston, and Orangeburg to attend. The celebration is open to the press and the public.

Organizers hope that as a result of the event, additional parents from across the Palmetto State will discover and explore the education options available for their children.

"Usually, when you see thousands of people gather at the state capitol, it's for a protest. This event is just the opposite: it's a fun, enthusiastic, energetic, celebration designed to let even more families know about the choices available for their children's education," said Shaunette Parker, Outreach Director of My SC Education. "Our goal is simple: to show every parent in South Carolina that school choice can change their children's lives for the better, and to shine a spotlight on the students who are succeeding thanks to our state's school choice programs."

My SC Education is a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on giving students across South Carolina the opportunity to succeed in school, empowering parents with education options, empowering teachers and principals, and creating a fair and open marketplace for innovation.

The Jan. 25 event is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (NSCW), which will feature more than 26,000 school choice events across all 50 states to raise equal and positive awareness of the traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, and home education options available for families.

In addition to this event, 344 public and private schools in South Carolina will host independent events and activities during NSCW. These schools enroll an estimated 148,482 students across all grade levels. To help raise awareness of the education options available for South Carolina families, Gov. Henry McMaster recently issued a ceremonial proclamation recognizing January 22-28, 2023, as "South Carolina School Choice Week."

For more information, visit mysceducation.org or schoolchoiceweek.com.

National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, including traditional public, public charter, public magnet, online, private, and home schooling. Every January, tens of thousands of schools, organizations, and individuals plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

SOURCE National School Choice Week