CHOICE Act

The CHOICE Act creates three education programs: (1) it updates DC opportunity scholarships for low-income students to require enrollment in public or private schools for the next school year; (2) it expands parental choice under IDEA for children with disabilities by allowing public or private funds (including tax credits) to cover school costs, while protecting religious school autonomy; and (3) it launches a 5-year military scholarship pilot for dependents living on installations, providing up to $12,000 annually per secondary student (with inflation adjustments) to attend chosen public or private schools, funded at $10 million yearly. The military program uses random selection for oversubscribed applications and requires participating schools to comply with anti-discrimination rules except for religiously affiliated institutions. All programs aim to increase educational options for specific student groups while maintaining state accreditation and parental choice.