CHOICE Act

Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act or the CHOICE Act

This bill expands school choice programs for elementary and secondary school students.

The bill

• requires, to qualify for an opportunity scholarship, that a student in the District of Columbia be currently enrolled, or be enrolled for the next school year, in a public or private elementary or secondary school (opportunity scholarships are provided to low-income District students to enable them to attend a participating private school of their choice);
• permits states that have established programs allowing the parents of disabled children to use public or private funds for assistance with the cost of their children attending a private school to supplement those funds with federal special education funds; and
• authorizes grants to support the design and initial implementation of state programs that allow the parents of a disabled child to choose the appropriate public or private school for their child.

The Department of Defense must carry out a five-year pilot program to award scholarships to enable military dependent students who live on military installations to attend the public or private elementary or secondary schools their parents choose.