ROME — The U.S. Catholic bishops have praised President Donald Trump’s full-court press for school choice, an item at the top of the Church’s wish list.
President Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order titled “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” recognizes the inadequacies of the U.S. public school system as well as the right of parents to oversee their children’s education, while introducing “educational choice” for families as well as competition for government-run public schools.
“I welcome President Trump’s Executive Order, which takes meaningful steps to expand educational freedom for families across the country,” stated Bishop David M. O’Connell, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education.
“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children and have both the right and responsibility to direct their child’s education,” O’Connell noted.
Since parents have given children their life, “they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate them and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators of their own children,” the bishop added.
In his executive order, Trump cited the growing body of scholarly research demonstrating that “well-designed education-freedom programs improve student achievement and cause nearby public schools to improve their performance.”
“It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children,” the president said.
The order also contemplates expanding the use of block grants to support families who choose educational alternatives to governmental entities, “including private and faith-based options,” a measure praised by the U.S. bishops.
“Importantly, this order affirms families who seek to choose faith-based educational options,” Bishop O’Connell wrote.
For generations, Catholic schools “have enriched America by providing a rigorous education rooted in faith,” he added. “Our schools are committed to serving all students, regardless of income, and we support policies that ensure families are truly free to choose the educational environment that aligns with their values and meets the needs of their children.”
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