Moms for Liberty Applauds U.S. Department of Education’s “Unsafe School Choice Option”

Moms for Liberty applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s May 7, 2025, guidance on the Unsafe School Choice Option (USCO). This policy empowers parents by ensuring students in persistently dangerous schools or victims of on-campus crimes can transfer to safer public schools, including charters.

Tina Descovich, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Moms for Liberty said, “We call on state leaders to act swiftly to implement robust USCO policies that prioritize transparency, accountability, and parental involvement. Moms for Liberty stands ready to support these efforts, advocating for policies that put students first. We thank the U.S. Department of Education for championing school safety and parental rights, and we look forward to seeing tangible results for America’s children.”

The Department’s updated guidance emphasizes three core responsibilities for States:

· Define what qualifies as a persistently dangerous school

· Identify those schools accordingly

· Offer school choice to affected students

We are encouraged by the Department’s commitment to expanding parental choice and addressing the alarming reality that, in the 2023-2024 school year, 25 schools nationwide were identified as persistently dangerous, with 15 in Arkansas alone. This underscores the urgent need for states to strengthen their safety policies. The fact that only four schools were reported as dangerous in 2022-2023, and none in 2021-2022, highlights inconsistent reporting and the necessity for clear, actionable criteria.