The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation�s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, applauds Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for introducing the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act (CHOICE), which calls for strengthening and expanding school choice opportunities for K-12 students nationwide.

The CHOICE Act amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to make federal funds for eligible children �portable� by allowing their parents to use their allocation of federal funds to send their children to private schools that will best serve their children�s needs.

Finally, the CHOICE Act establishes a 5-year pilot program at the Department of Defense to award scholarships so that military children can attend the private or public school of their parents� choice.

Said Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy for the Orthodox Union:
�We commend Senator Scott for his effort to empower parents and deliver greater educational opportunity to American children,� Diament said. �Just last week, the U.S. Department of Education issued a report documenting that billions of federal education dollars the Obama Administration intended to improve K-12 education were actually wasted by the education bureaucracies and didn�t deliver results. This is the latest evidence that parents must be empowered to deliver educational opportunities to their children, and Senator Scott�s CHOICE Act is an important step toward that goal.�

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