Alliance for School Choice Responds Erroneous Claims in Grijalva Letter

PHOENIX (Feb. 18, 2014) – The Alliance for School Choice, the nation’s voice for educational choice, today responded to attacks against Arizona’s educational choice programs, which help thousands of low-income families and special needs children obtain educational options.
“Arizona families are fortunate to have educational options that empower parents and serve as a lifeline for thousands of children,” said Matt Frendewey, national communications director for the Alliance for School Choice. “Parental choice allows Arizona families to choose the best educational environment for their child and it is unfortunate that the teachers union and a member of Congress would try to interfere with efforts to educate parents about their options.”
U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva issued a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking, “[H]ow private student/parent information was available to a third party, when federal law restricts and protects that information.”
The Alliance for School Choice, a 501(c)3 organization, used a public list of schools, identified the schools rated D or F, and contacted parents within those ZIP codes about their publicly funded educational options with rented lists from a private vendor.
“The attacks on parental choice and on State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal are totally without merit and are designed to suppress participation in an educational choice program. We believe families in Arizona should be made aware of all the publicly funded educational options available to them so they can make best choice for their child,” added Frendewey.
Background:
Public list of Arizona public schools, ranked A-F: http://www.azed.gov/research-evaluation/a-f-accountability/
Phone list was created and rented from a private vendor.
 

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