By Congressman Byron Donalds – My mom was a school choice mom before school choice was cool. She moved me out of a failing school in Brooklyn, and I can never repay her enough for making that decision. Without it I would not have become as successful as I am today.

The liberal media will lead you to believe that the public education system is the only way to go, but many parents, especially Black parents, support school choice. Homeschooling has increased in the Black community because parents are fed up with the failing public school system. The 2022 National School Choice poll reported that 65% of all K-12 parents support school choice. According to the Federation For Children, 74% of Black parents and 71% of Latino parents support it as well.

For years, the public school system has set our kids up for failure, but there is always another option. Parents should not be forced to stay in a system that keeps their kids stuck in a trap. As someone that directly benefited from school choice, I believe that parents should have the option to decide the future of their children.

Democrats do not want parents to have the right to choose the best path for their education because they want to indoctrinate our kids with their “woke” agenda. They want to exclude parents from the classroom, but there is no better teacher than a parent. Democrats want to keep minority students in a trap that prioritizes putting the system over the success of your kids.

Republicans will implement policies that will uplift all communities and that’s why we need to elect them November 8^th.

Additionally, studies have shown that there is a link between school choice programs and a reduction in crime. A study conducted by The University of Arkansas found that the effects of school choice programs led to a decrease in drug convictions by 53%, property damage crimes by 86%, and paternity suits by 38%. In New York City, researchers found that attending charter schools reduced the likelihood of incarceration for male students by 100%.

Now more than ever, we need Republicans in office so schools will stay open, allowing our students to thrive and become a priority again. The aftermath of the pandemic – and the impact of Democrat-led lockdowns — has had a clear negative effect on our kids. Teachers and students across the country are suffering under Democrats. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, math and reading scores decreased across the board The Washington Post called this the steepest decline in test scores “in more than half a century.” It’s also been reported that learning loss hit minority and lower-income students the hardest, widening the education inequality gap.

This election is crucial, and a lot is on the line. School choice is a top priority of mine and I know it’s yours too. Join me in taking back parents’ rights to their kids’ education and reinstating commonsense politics into our systems. Our kids are our future. Republicans, not Democrats, will finally put them first.