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By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International, March 3, 2025
Among the dozens of Executive Orders President Donald J. Trump signed during the first few weeks in office were two Executive Orders: Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families and Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12. The first aims to expand educational freedom and opportunity for families, and the second addresses discrimination and protecting parental rights.
Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families recognizes that parents, not the government, play a fundamental role in directing the upbringing and education of their children. It establishes that it is the policy of President Trump’s administration to allow families “to choose the best educational setting for their children” and pledges “to support parents” in their fundamental role.
The Order’s primary focus is on broadening school choice, including public charter schools, private school options, and alternatives such as homeschooling. Its goal is to empower parents to choose the educational environment that best meets their child’s needs. Though President Trump’s Executive Order does not yet commit federal money to private schools, the tenor of the mandate expresses an effort at universal vouchers. Though the decisions to implement vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, or education savings accounts (ESAs), etc., still resides with individual states, the Order establishes a process that encourages and enables the states in their efforts to assist parents in the education of their children. There also are a number of components of the Order that could have implications for afterschool and summer learning programs, requiring some adjustments as monies are redirected.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. of the Diocese of Trenton, lauded the Order for recognizing “that parents are the primary educators of their children.” Bishop O’Connell, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, welcomed the Order’s potential impact one that “takes meaningful steps to expand educational freedom for families across the country.” The bishop said, “this Order affirms families who seek to choose faith-based educational options.” ….
