Support school choice

My first child started his education in the Little Rock School District because it was our zoned school and no one ever told me there were other options. As a kindergartner, he was reading on a first- to second-grade level and was proficient in all subjects. However, he kept coming home with bad reports/red on the behavior sheets. This wasn’t because he was a bad child, but because he was bored. Once he would finish his schoolwork, his teacher would not give him anything extra to challenge him.

This continued for years until I began taking him to a therapist and even had his IQ checked. In the midst of all this, including a teacher telling me he had ADHD, which he did not, I learned that he still was not being challenged. I was determined to find something better for him and my other two kids.

Once he was in eighth grade, we finally got a call for something better, LISA Academy. For my middle son, he wanted to go to LRSD Central High, so we started the LRSD journey again. He did great, showing that children thrive in different environments. My youngest is still at LISA Academy and loves it.

School choice allowed my children to take several educational routes, and they worked. Without the power of choice in education, I could have been dealing with children that do not want to go to school or would likely drop out. Instead I have a rising high school senior, a college junior and a college sophomore.

You have to do what works for your child, whether it be traditional public, charter, private or homeschool. I will forever support school choice!

TONDA BARNES Little Rock