10% of students are educated outside of public school…they need 10% of COVID relief money.

There are two reasons that Congress needs to appropriate funds specifically for private schools, charter schools, and school choice programs in the next round of CARES Act funding.

First of all, it’s the right thing to do. American students deserve options for their education and limiting COVID-19 relief funds to only some students burdens and suppresses education options for over five million private and charter school students, as well as millions of additional families who wish, but have thus far been unable, to take part in school choice programs.

American families should have the opportunity to choose the education option that best fits their students’ needs, regardless of their income level, and especially because of COVID-19 induced uncertainty in the education system. Students and parents are faced with an unprecedented combination of academic, economic, health, and safety concerns associated with sending their kids back to school this fall. Many find their current schools lacking in educational quality and were dissatisfied with the administration of distance education. Many students have fallen behind in their course curriculum. Some students are in need of additional help, and many will be unable to get it in their current situations.

I’ve been one of those kids. I was educated by means of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, which allowed me to attend a private school that changed my life forever. My family couldn’t afford to educate me privately without the help of that scholarship, and neither can many others. I can only imagine what it must be like for families and students who are denied the option to get the education they deserve because of financial circumstances. I can only imagine how much better our education system would be if families were given the ability to place their kids in the school and programs that best meet their needs. For this reason alone, Congress should appropriate relief money for school choice and finally prioritize students first.

But there is another reason Congress should deliver relief: to prevent permanent closure of schools. A tragic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and its response is that countless private and charter schools are in danger of closing their doors permanently. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of families are facing difficult financial times, during which they may not be able to make tuition payments on time or at all. The most vulnerable families, and the most vulnerable schools, are located in low-income areas.

With this in mind, Congress appropriating funds to aid private and charter schools and families is imperative, both for the recipients themselves and for the larger community. If private and charter schools fail, or if families are unable to pay tuition, the results will simply be disastrous for the American education system. If 20% of the population of private school students are forced to integrate back into the public-school system, it will cost taxpayers 15 billion dollars. After years of political fights over the state of funding and the overpopulation in our public schools, what is Congress going to say when hundreds of thousands of American students suddenly have no other choice? How can we comprehend implementing social distancing and other safety guidelines while dealing with the influx of students that would occur if private schools fail?

The roughly ten percent of American students receive their education outside of the public-school system, many of whom come from lower-income families, deserve support during this time. The average income of a family participating in the state’s tax credit scholarship program lies merely 8 percent above the poverty line, at just above $27,000 per year. This is the same demographic that has been impacted most severely by COVID-19. Those kids deserve the same opportunity I had, to choose an academic path without regard to economic circumstance. Those families deserve choice, so that their children can receive an education that pushes them to seek their highest potential. I call on Congress to act, in this time of great uncertainty, to perpetuate stability in our education system and relieve the worries of millions of families by aiding all of our schools, and all of our students, not just some of them.