Letter: The promise of school choice

Reflecting as a parent, I want to share my story so all parents can learn from my family’s experiences.

My son is currently 18 and out of school. He is smart and loved school in his early years, but as he entered junior high, he wasn't challenged. His love of learning deteriorated to the point where he refused to go to school.

As a single parent, I struggled to navigate options that would allow him to learn at an accelerated pace. Along the way, he was offered a scholarship to attend a private school, but even with the scholarship tuition was challenging for a single parent income. We were lost searching for any alternative schooling, but there were no programs or resources accessible to help my son.

Looking back, I see many missed opportunities that could have been available if there were increased options for school choice. Luckily, with the passage of SB 727, other families will no longer have to face the same struggles my son and I experienced. This bill expands the MOScholars program, providing scholarships that will help other children transition to an alternative form of education, catering to their needs.

I wholeheartedly believe that this scholarship would have made a huge difference in my son’s educational success and success in all areas of his life. I am grateful that Missouri is finally recognizing a need for educational choice options. Traditional options don’t work for every child.

MELODY MERCHANT, Jackson