Private Schools Are Open. Here’s How to Apply for an Opportunity Scholarship.

Well-off parents are sending their kids for in-class instruction at private schools.

Less fortunate families shouldn’t be denied the same opportunity.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s orders permit well-off families to send their children to private schools for in-class instruction, while children from less fortunate families receive no in-person education.

Parents can change that by applying for an Opportunity Scholarship. The program provides low- and middle-income families with up to $4,200 in scholarship funding to attend a private school.

Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said, “The public school establishment is failing the very children it is supposed to serve. At-risk kids may be out of school from March 2020 through September 2021 — many of them don’t have a chance of catching up.”

Berger continued, “Meanwhile, children from well-off families can learn in-person at private school. I urge concerned parents to take advantage of the Opportunity Scholarship program so their kids can get the same private school education as other children.”

The latest data shows a “shocking” disparity in online learning efficacy between high- and low-income students.

In 2013, the Republican-led legislature created the Opportunity Scholarship program to provide students from low- and middle-income families with up to $4,200 per year to attend private school.

The philosophy behind the program is that the condition of one’s birth shouldn’t predetermine education quality.

The application period for the 2020–21 school year is open until Aug. 31, 2020. Families interested in applying should visit the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority’s website.