Illinois Charter School Families Bring Their Voices to Washington, D.C.

INCS joined nearly 1,000 charter school parents and champions from around the country in Washington, D.C. to fight for the future of charter public schools. During this National Charter Schools Week, these charter school advocates were voicing their dissent against new regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) for the Charter Schools Program (CSP).

Parents also gathered at the White House to share personal stories and to express to the Administration how important charter schools are to their families, students, and communities. Families made it clear they want to have a choice in their students’ education and DOE needs to #backoff.

The proposed regulations to the CSP will directly affect single-site community-based schools (which make up nearly 65% of all charter schools) and make it more difficult for community leaders to start or expand charter schools their communities want for their students.

In Illinois, charter schools serve over 60,000 students, mainly in neighborhoods that are historically underserved by public education. Our students and families deserve equal access to a high-quality education and INCS is proud to stand with the parents who let their voices be heard.

Other participating organizations included: The Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools, African American Charter School Coalition, The Memphis Lift, Black Latinx Asian Charter School Collaborative (BLACC) Texas Association of Public Charter Schools, Rocketship Public Schools, the National Parents Union, and 30 other state and national parent, charter school, education, and advocacy organizations.

For more photos and posts from Washington, D.C., make sure to follow INCS on Twitter at @ILCharters and the #backoff hashtag.