Oklahoma enacts universal school choice: It ‘shouldn't be just for the rich or those who can afford it’

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NC Gov. Cooper is a ‘hypocrite’ when it comes to school choice: Corey DeAngelis

 American Federation for Children senior fellow Corey DeAngelis reacts to N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper declaring a state of emergency to block a school choice bill from passing.

Oklahoma became the 7th state to enact universal school choice on Thursday. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed private and homeschool tax credits that would make school choice universally available to all families.

"School choice shouldn't be just for the rich or those who can afford it," Stitt said. Now it's available for every single family in the state of Oklahoma."

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt delivers his State of the State address on Feb. 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Republican leaders in Oklahoma unveiled the largest-ever budget proposal on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, although it's not clear Gov. Stitt will support the plan. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

American Federation For Children Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital that Gov. Stitt is an "education freedom fighter."

"The government school monopoly dominoes are falling one red state at a time. A school choice revolution has ignited and there's no stopping it. Oklahoma is now the seventh state in just two years to go all-in on education freedom by passing universal school choice. All Oklahoma families will now have education freedom and there's nothing the power-hungry teachers unions can do about it," DeAngelis said.

Oklahoma is the latest of the Republican-led states to pass school choice legislation.

Red-state governors across the country have passed universal school choice legislation, igniting what experts call a "revolution."

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Last year, Arizona became the first state in the nation to pass education scholarship accounts, expanding the program to all 1.1 million K-12 students in the state. Other red states have now followed suit in pushing school choice legislation.

Last year, Arizona became the first state in the nation to pass education scholarship accounts, expanding the program to all 1.1 million K-12 students in the state. Other red states have now followed suit in pushing school choice legislation. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Relations between teachers unions and parents have soured in recent years, particularly in response to academic slowdowns across the U.S. in the wake of COVID-19-related school closures. 

Widespread calls for school choice and parental rights have emerged after states implemented lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic. School choice became a salient issue after the COVID-19-induced lockdowns sparked a conversation on the scope of the government’s authority and the type of content that should be taught to children from public school curricula. 

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Republican governors made significant inroads in pushing universal school choice legislation, which did not exist anywhere in the country a year ago. As of now, five states passed universal school choice this year. 

School choice, or providing all families with alternatives to the public schools they’re zoned for, can be expanded through multiple avenues at the state level, including school voucher programs, tax-credit scholarship programs, individual tuition tax credit programs and deductions and education savings accounts. 

Widespread calls for school choice and parental rights have emerged after states implemented lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Charter schools, magnet schools and homeschooling are also forms of school choice programs.

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Fox News' Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.