Students from thousands of schools are planning celebrations of educational options later this month, starting with a rally next week in Jacksonville.
Organizers say they're planning for 11,000 events as part of National School Choice week, more than double the total from last year.
Jacksonville is set to host the first of those: A Jan. 23 kickoff celebration with students, educators and aa few big-name guests.
U.S. Sen. John McCain is set to appear at the Florida Theatre by a live video feed from a simultaneous event in Arizona. In-person speakers will include Rev. H K Matthews, a Pensacola civil rights icon, and Desmond Howard, a former Jacksonville Jaguar known as one of the best return specialists in NFL history.
The schedule is packed with testimonials from students who have benefited from various forms of school choice. Other participants from the Florida education world include Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand, statewide Teacher of the Year Christie Bassett and Duval County School Board member Jason Fischer.
Florida has long been a hotbed of support for National School Choice Week, and this year it'll be the epicenter. The week-long celebration of school choice runs from Jan. 25-31 and covers the range of educational options, public and private. See the event's press release, including a longer list of organizers and participants, here.
