This January, Agudah held a School Choice Awareness Event at the State Capitol in conjunction with the National School Choice rally, organized in partnership with the Colorado Association of Private Schools, Parents United, Parents Challenge, and Colorado Parent Advocacy Network.
The participating group, led by Agudah and comprising of representation from Beth Jacob High School, Yeshiva Toras Chaim, and Hillel Academy, began the day with a personal tour of the Senate floor with State Senator Chris Hansen. The group was then treated to short presentations from State Senator Julie Gonzales, State Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet, and Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen. A pizza lunch followed, which Representative Emily Sirota briefly joined, and then everyone headed outside to participate in the rally on the front steps of the Capitol.
At the rally, Rabbi Yossi Kaplan, Director of Agudah of Colorado, spoke about parents having the right to choose the appropriate school for their child, instead of zip codes or personal circumstances choosing for them. When we support School Choice, we are asking our legislators to support funding for schools that are alternative options to public schools. To date, over thirty states have some sort of School Choice program, with some states more robust than others. Colorado currently does not have any program providing funding to private schools. An event dedicated to School Choice brings the matter to our legislators’ attention and asks them to support School Choice legislation.