Leftists shouldn’t be able to make kids unsafe at school

One of the worst examples of radical leftist malice toward school choice is on full display in neighboring Pennsylvania. There, unions intimidated a newly elected liberal Democrat governor into abandoning a forward-looking school choice proposal.

Fortunately, governors and legislators in other states are showing courage.

To date, 76 school choice programs or policies are in operation in 30 states educating more than 600,000 children. Researchers have conducted 175 studies on the effectiveness of these programs measuring test scores and other aspects, with 151 of them showing positive results.

Right here at home, Ohio is also expanding school choice, as Gov. Mike Dewine and the legislature this July agreed to expand scholarships that can be used for private schools or homeschooling.

This agreement builds on a voucher program I helped pass when I served in the Ohio Senate in 2013. While I strongly support these changes, states can only do so much against the determined effort to keep parents out of their kids’ education. The federal government can lead, follow or get out of the way.

Action by states stands in stark contrast to the rank liberal hypocrisy displayed in Washington, D.C. According to a recent report, 12 U.S. senators oppose school choice for the rest of us but send their own kids to private schools.

In the Senate, I will work to reinforce the vision and foresight of parents, local leaders and state legislators to expand educational freedom and confront the educational monopoly. We should end the federal government’s ever-expansive and meddlesome role in education and pursue efforts to close down the U.S. Department of Education.

Students should not be forced to attend unsafe or chronically underperforming schools, and the movement toward school choice, charter schools, vouchers and greater parental involvement must continue. As the only candidate with school-age children, I view school choice not as a political matter, but as a civil rights issue. It is the only education policy that can realistically stop us from falling behind other nations.

To turn the tide, we must fight to level the playing field so that parents, not the teachers unions, choose what’s best for their children.

Frank Larose is Ohio’s secretary of state and a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

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