School choice supporters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge will celebrate National School Choice Week 2017 with a variety of events, including a kickoff celebration, school tours, and a breakfast for community leaders.

Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC) will launch its celebrations with a kickoff recognizing how students’ and families’ lives have been enriched by the school choice options available in Louisiana. The kickoff event will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23 at the Jones Creek Library in Baton Rouge.

Elected officials, educators, clergy, and community leaders will attend a community leaders breakfast at 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 in the Walnut Room of Lakefront Airport in New Orleans.

Parents, lawmakers, and media are invited to the school tours. The tour schedule is as follows:

  • Redemporist Elementary School in Baton Rouge, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24
  • St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans, 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

These events are planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2017, which will feature more than 21,000 school choice events across all 50 states.

“I always look forward to joining with our families to celebrate National School Choice Week. School choice has helped level the playing field for Louisiana families who otherwise would have no other option but to send their children to underperforming public schools,” said Ann Duplessis, president of Louisiana Federation for Children. “School choice is giving hope to thousands of low-income and minority families, making it possible for all parents to choose the education that best fits their children’s individual needs – a choice more affluent parents take for granted.”

For more information, contact Paul Dauphin, Louisiana Director of Communications for the American Federation for Children, at pdauphin@federationforchildren.org.

As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country.

For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com, or visit www.facebook.com/schoolchoiceweek.