February 11, 2021 3:20 a.m. 

On Wednesday, Oregon House Republicans urged the Legislature to proactively adopt legislation that would expand school choice options, especially amid the ongoing pandemic and limited in-person instruction opportunities.

A release from the Oregon House Republican Caucus cited HB 2023, which expands student access to virtual charter schools and HB 2347, which extends the state’s open enrollment program for another five years, as “…commonsense steps to ensuring that students and parents have more options for accessing a quality education.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said, “There has never been a better time to take a look at our current education system and ask ourselves how we can better serve our kids”. Drazan urged her colleagues to give these concepts consideration as soon as possible.

The release said GOP lawmakers are urging their colleagues to reject legislation that would limit educational options and to schedule hearings for the two pieces of legislation in the near future.