North Dakota State Senator: "The time is right" for school choice

(Grand Forks, ND) -- North Dakota State Senator Scott Meyer says he expects he and other lawmakers will push legislation aimed at providing school vouchers for families to use for sending their children to private schools. The republican from Grand Forks points to the recent controversy involving the Fargo School and the Pledge of Allegiance as one factor for motivating him and other lawmakers to focus on school choice during the next legislative session which begins in January.

"It just seems like the time is right to keep pursuing this or at least keep having a discussion and seeing if there is a way for school choice to pass this next session," said Meyer.

Meyer said the original decision by the Fargo School Board to not recite the Pledge, before later reversing their decision, is "not aligning with North Dakota values". Meyer is also critical of Covid-19 response strategies in the state's public schools, and cites that as another contributing factor for his interest in school choice.

Critics of vouchers or school choice argue such initiatives take away needed money and resources from public schools.