Parental choice in education was a popular topic last Wednesday, April 18th, at the Connecticut 4th District GOP Debate featuring candidates for Governor. The debate was held at Saxe Middle School – an appropriate setting for the nine candidates to address education for the first time.

Candidates pressed the need to increase educational options and opportunities for all students.

State Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, a Glastonbury physician, highlighted the importance of ensuring that families in low-performing schools can go to another school if they so choose. In particular, Westport businessman Steve Obsitnik underscored the need to empower families who are stuck in inadequate systems because they cannot afford to move to another school district. Fairfield lawyer Peter Lumaj voiced that parents should have the choice to remove their kids from a failing school to a non-failing school so that their child can succeed.

As the Catholic Church teaches, “… the public power, which has the obligation to protect and defend the rights of citizens, must see to it, in its concern for distributive justice, that public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children.” It is hopeful to see government candidates recognize of the need and right of parents to have true liberty in their choice of schools.