Commentary: Hurricane displacement gives new look to school choice idea

Though politicians and pundits have debated whether to rebuild New Orleans, for many of us there was never a question. This city, steeped in history, mystery and character, is resilient. Already planning its next Mardi Gras parade, this city will not remain bogged down in the aftermath of a natural

It will rebuild. Not only the buildings but the educational infrastructure, finally giving poor children the chance at educational opportunities they have been denied.

Frustrated with the chronic and dire problems in the Orleans Parish schools, the Louisiana House made history this year by passing the state's first school choice bill. However, a deadlocked Senate Education Committee vote prevented the bill from going to the Senate floor, halting legislation that would have allowed students in Orleans Parish to escape failing schools with scholarships to attend private schools.

It is disturbing that many evacuees are only now offered educational options for their children as a workable strategy in the wake of disaster. Many of the communities offering safe harbor have suspended normal registration requirements in order to move children into schools and establish their routine as quickly as possible.

But school choice is a concept that works beyond such difficult conditions. The parents of children in Milwaukee, Cleveland, the District of Columbia and across Florida actively choose the right school for their children through school choice programs every year. And it didn't take a hurricane to make it happen.

We have heard how the disaster has taken a toll, especially on the city's poor - those who couldn't afford to pay for gas or a bus ticket to get out before the storm hit. It is equally likely that many of those who stayed did so because they were sure they could ride it out like they had other years through other storms. Maybe they are used to the city's challenges such as the high crime rate and declining education system. Now they have a chance to start anew.

Can some good come from this disaster? By rebuilding the school system from the ground up, the poor children of Orleans Parish and other areas might finally get a chance at educational opportunities they have been denied. The scope of the needs of families and communities struggling to make sense of their lives and determine their livelihoods is so vast that some will question this concern about educational opportunities.

Isn't anything better than the lack of structure, of order, of normalcy that these families are experiencing now? Maybe, but we can hope that those who return to the Big Easy and other devastated areas want more than they had; that they expect their leaders to take advantage of the opportunity to move beyond the status quo and give them the means to ensure that their children attend the school that is right for them through school choice.

School choice involves a set of options. In different states and cities it may include vouchers, tax credits, charter schools, home schooling, open enrollment and distance learning or some combination of these using public, private and religious schools. The success of school choice has been demonstrated by research studies conducted by respected experts and government agencies and, perhaps more importantly, the satisfaction reported by parents.

The recovery effort will be protracted, requiring new thinking as old challenges are addressed. For one of these challenges, the educational opportunities of all children, the legislators of Louisiana were already poised to take another direction when they last met. Now is the time to move forward boldly, offering all parents the opportunity to choose the right educational environment for their children.

For now, immediate relief requires true school choice. Public schools alone cannot handle the tide. Yet the Federal Emergency Management Agency precludes religious schools from throwing out a life preserver even though the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such aid. More than 372,000 children in Louisiana and Mississippi have been displaced. Federal officials should suspend the FEMA rules and allow federal aid to follow Katrina's young victims wherever they can find schooling - in public or private schools.

Rhonda Meyer is the director of research for the Phoenix-based Alliance for School Choice (www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org). The alliance supports school choice programs to expand opportunities for disadvantaged schoolchildren.