Elijah Robinson attempted suicide as a teenager. As a queer, mixed-race student, the bullying at his public school was destroying his life and pushed him into a deep depression.
Thankfully, Elijah’s story, as reported by Ron Matus at redefinED, has a happy ending. In fact, it shows the life-changing potential of school choice programs. In most cases school choice programs, whether charter schools or private school tuition vouchers, just improve educational outcomes and increase parental discretion but in some instances they are truly transformative.
At least this was the case for Elijah, who felt truly trapped in his public school. RedefinED reports that every day, bullies “cut him with slurs” and “tried to block him from the boys’ locker room.” Eventually it “turned physical, with boys pushing and kicking him, hoping to provoke a fight.” This pushed Elijah into deep mental distress, depression, and suicidality, ultimately resulting in his hospitalization.
But thanks to a Florida school choice program that provides tuition funds for low-income students to attend private schools, the Tax Credit Scholarship, Elijah was able to leave the public school that failed to keep him safe behind. Instead, he enrolled at The Foundation Academy ,a private Christian school that protects students from bullying and does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
Elijah now says, “I definitely am in a better place.”
While Elijah’s story is particularly extreme and moving, it speaks to the core of what school choice offers. It gives students an opportunity not only to get a better education but to be in a better place. I spoke to school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children communications director Tommy Schultz, who made it clear that the school choice movement is focused on students like Elijah, too.
“Those of us in the movement to expand K-12 educational options see this type of story nearly every day: a child is suffering terribly in their assigned school, a family is begging for a way out, and yet opponents of educational choice, like the teachers’ unions, want to tell that family to stay in your school,” Schultz said. “No child should be forced to go to a school where they feel unsafe or uncomfortable, which is why it’s essential for all families to have the freedom to choose the best educational environment for their child.”
Schultz is right: When Democrats and teachers’ unions oppose school choice, they may have good intentions, but the practical impact of their opposition is to restrict the ability of millions of families across the country to make decisions about where their kid wants to attend school and will feel the most safe.
And in many cases, for lesbian, gay, or transgender students, that ends up being a private school. As noted by redefinED, surveys show students are substantially less likely to face bullying for their sexual orientation or gender identity in private schools compared to traditional public schools. Official Department of Education data document this phenomenon as well.
By denying low-income students an opportunity to choose their school, we’re inevitably dooming students like Elijah to continue to suffer.
