School choice rally draws more than 2,000 supporters to Montgomery

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Students participate in National School Choice Week rally in Montgomery, Jan. 27, 2017.

Huntsville resident Kayla Harris and her children traveled to Montgomery to attend the National School Choice Week rally Friday morning. They were just a few of more than 2,000 people from 50 schools across Alabama attending the rally marking the final day of School Choice Week, an annual event celebrating school choice.

The event featured inspirational speakers as well as multiple performances by students. Many students wore their school's uniforms, and all wore the bright yellow scarves the event is known for.

During the rally, Billy Canary, CEO of the Business Council of Alabama and strong supporter of school choice, told attendees, "No child should be given an academic death sentence because of their ZIP code," and thanked parents and students for stepping up and making the choice for something better. The BCA was one of seven groups sponsoring the rally.

Harris said her two older daughters, now aged 14 and 11, weren't doing well in the public school they were zoned to attend, but thanks to tax-credit scholarships available through the Alabama Accountability Act, both are thriving in private school.

In a video address played during the rally, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he brought school choice to Alabama because children were stuck in failing school systems and had no hope of anything better. School choice gave them hope, Marsh said.

Marsh was the architect of the Alabama Accountability Act, which opened the door for school choice in Alabama. Marsh also sponsored passage of the law giving the go ahead to public charter schools, and Alabama's first charter school, the ACCEL Day and Evening Academy, will open in August in Mobile.

Richard Oliver is the admissions director for Lyman Ward Military Academy, a private all-male boarding school in Camp Hill. Members of Lyman Ward's color guard opened the rally. Oliver said three students are currently using tax-credit scholarships to attend, and officials are considering new ways to recruit more students who qualify.

Tyler, a senior at Lyman Ward, said the structure helps him stay focused on learning. The school day starts early, at 5:30 a.m., which he said took some getting used to. Tyler's two younger brothers also attend school there on scholarships. Tyler has plans for college next fall.

Birmingham-area resident Jennifer Woods said she couldn't afford private school tuition for her three children, aged 14, 12, and 10, without the tax-credit scholarship. Her two oldest children, both girls, were being bullied and physically harassed in the public school they were zoned to attend. She begged school officials for help, but they didn't do anything, Woods said.

After learning she qualified for the scholarship, Woods enrolled all three of her children in a local Christian school. "I was on cloud nine," she said. "It's the best thing I could have ever done."

Woods said the changes in her daughters were immediate. They weren't distracted by the environment in the school anymore, so they began learning. The curriculum at their private school is advanced, and smaller class sizes make it easier to get help from teachers when needed.

Harris said she feels good about the school her daughters now attend and considers herself blessed. Though the public schools her children were zoned for were considered "failing," Harris said she doesn't believe all public schools are bad. Choice is the equalizer, she said, adding, "Every mother should have the opportunity to choose the right school for her children."

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