How most school choice policies will allow government to ‘destroy’ private schools: Nonprofit president
Sheri Few, president of U.S. Parents Involved in Education, warns that most school choice legislation being passed will end in a regulatory crackdown on private schools.
Over 30 organizations claim that sorting kids into school districts based on their income promotes "segregation" and ensures that low-income households have fewer quality options.
The No More Lines Coalition was formed after over 30 education groups banded together vowing to end "discriminatory public school district boundary lines."
Most states restrict parents to schools within their zip code or the school district that presides over their residential area.
The effort, led by Yes, Every Kid, galvanized the organizations to commit to "ending public school discrimination based on address."
The solution they are touting is to pass open enrollment policies to give parents options on where to send their children to school.
The No More Lines Coalition claim that sorting kids into school districts based on their income promotes "segregation" and ensures that low-income households have fewer quality options. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
"These school boundaries are based on a student’s ZIP code and, de facto, a family’s wealth based on their home value. The coalition has set a goal of ending this restrictive practice in all 50 states by 2030," the No More Lines Coalition said in a statement.
They argue further that the practice is "rooted in redlining practices of the 1930s to 1960s" where public school students were assigned to a school based on where they live.
Such public school district boundary lines perpetuate "racial and economic divisions and prevent families from accessing the public school that best meets their children’s needs," the group argues.
No More Lines Coalition added, "This issue is critical, as about 82% of American K-12 students attend public school today. Many states still have a policy in which a child attending any school is a criminal statute."
"It’s educational redlining, plain and simple, and we are better, as a nation, than using these lines to dole out educational opportunity. They need to go," said Derrell Bradford, Yes Every Kid board member and 50CAN president.
"By giving families the option to access the public school that meets their kids’ needs – and not sending them to jail for doing so – we will remove significant barriers to every child getting the personalized education that helps them become the best version of themselves."
Public school district boundary lines perpetuate "racial and economic divisions and prevent families from accessing the public school that best meets their children’s needs," the No More Lines Coalition argued. (iStock)
While all 50 states dictate the public school a child is assigned to based on their address, 24 states have policies that will imprison parents for crossing school or district boundary lines.
No More Lines Coalition said that some districts often "hire private investigators to follow parents to ensure that they meet the residency requirements."
"These policies and practices are an immoral use of taxpayer resources and disproportionately criminalize people of color and those from working-class backgrounds," No More Lines Coalition stated.
As the No More Lines Coalition vows to create public school access for all students regardless of their address, universal school choice made significant gains in 2023 when a wave of red states passed legislation.
School choice policies allow parents to send their kids to schools outside their neighborhood or opt out of going to the public school in their neighborhood.
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As the No More Lines Coalition vows to create public school access for all students regardless of their address, universal school choice made significant gains in 2023 when a wave of red states passed legislation. (The Associated Press)
Nine states have passed universal school choice legislation so far, with Arizona leading the way in July 2022.
Arizona led the charge of the "school choice revolution" when the Grand Canyon State opened up its Educational Savings Account program to all students, eliminating restrictions that had limited it to those in poor-performing school districts, Indian reservations, and those with disabilities.
More states are looking to pass school choice policies.