WASHINGTON – The national board members of PublicSchoolOptions.org, a parent-led coalition that advocates for parents to have all school choice options available, released the following statement regarding the remarks delivered last night by American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randy Weingarten at AFT’s convention. STATEMENT FROM THE FIVE-MEMBER NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND PARENT LEADERS OF PUBLICSCHOOLOPTIONS.ORG:“Ms. Weingarten’s rhetoric is over-the-top, unproductive and extremely offensive to millions of parents across the country fighting for their children to have access to the education that fits their needs best. Likening proponents of school choice to segregationists is disgusting, shameful and outright wrong. When parents are empowered with choices, students succeed – period. Ms. Weingarten should apologize immediately to the parents she demeans with her remarks and start putting children ahead of hateful rhetoric.”Tillie Elvrum, National Board President, ColoradoAmy Threewit, Board Secretary, NebraskaPeder Berg, Board Director, WisconsinColleen Cook, Board Director, OklahomaChristin Kaiser, Board Director, LouisianaPublicSchoolOptions.org is a national alliance of over 60,000 parents that supports and defends parents’ rights to access the best public school options for their children. The Coalition supports the creation of public school options, including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies and other innovative education programs. Additionally, we advocate for equal access without restrictions to the school that best suits the individual student’s learning needs whether it is public, non-public or home-based.###