Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act or the CHOICE Act

This bill expands school choice programs for elementary and secondary school students.

The bill

• requires, to qualify for an opportunity scholarship, that a student in the District of Columbia be currently enrolled, or be enrolled for the next school year, in a public or private elementary or secondary school (opportunity scholarships are provided to low-income District students to enable them to attend a participating private school of their choice);
• permits states that have established programs allowing the parents of disabled children to use public or private funds for assistance with the cost of their children attending a private school to supplement those funds with federal special education funds; and
• authorizes grants to support the design and initial implementation of state programs that allow the parents of a disabled child to choose the appropriate public or private school for their child.

The Department of Defense must carry out a five-year pilot program to award scholarships to enable military dependent students who live on military installations to attend the public or private elementary or secondary schools their parents choose.