I'm tired of all those fights at school board meetings. My parents tell me that when they attended public schools back in the '50s, there really wasn't any tension between public schools and the churches. There was a community consensus that public schools should teach certain values that ultimately had their roots in the Bible. Today, in my children's schools, I don't find this consensus. Parents with this concern and these views ask if educational choice would give them new possibilities to fulfill their parental responsibility.
Supporters answer yes.
If public policy gave them financial assistance, parents would more likely than at present be able to find and afford a school supportive of their beliefs and values. Proponents contend that public policy has an obligation not only to tolerate, but also to encourage parental responsibility and choice. Public policy should, in general, trust that parents are committed to their children' s welfare and know best what is good for their children. Educational choice gives parents new opportunity to exercise their responsible freedom. Educational choice holds promise of benefiting the whole community by enabling religious or other value-oriented schools to exist and perhaps to flourish.