American Federation for Children Responds to Randi Weingarten

Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers launched attacks against those who seek educational freedom for their children, labeling them the “polite cousins of segregation.” Regardless of the fact that Ms. Weingarten is ignoring the history, and even though millions of disenfranchised families across the country are embracing school choice, our organization is compelled to respond. The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, released the following statements.
Statement from Kevin P. Chavous, founding board member of the American Federation for Children:
“If vouchers are the polite cousins of segregation, then most urban school districts are segregation’s direct descendants. The vast majority of our urban public school districts are segregated because of white flight and neighborhood neglect. Would Randi support court-ordered busing today to remedy the real problem of segregated public schools? Of course not. Better yet, how about agreeing to one simple standard: no school will be allowed to open its doors to children if the school funders and administrators won’t send their kids to that school. Since Randi won’t agree to that approach either, the rest of us will continue to fight for equal access to the same quality public and private schools that the privileged few unabashedly enjoy.”
Statement from Traci Woodard, parent of a student who used the Educational Choice Scholarship Program in Ohio:

“How dare Randi Weingarten accuse someone like me of being aligned with segregationists, when all I’ve wanted to do was give my son the chance to have an opportunity with his education. Our local public school was classified as a failing school. I thank God that my son had the chance to use a voucher, because I knew he’d end up six feet under or in prison if I kept him in that dangerous public school environment. He thrived in his new private school, and is now in college studying to be a journalist. I’ll never apologize for fighting to give my son a better life.”