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Governor Abbott recently declared Jan. 21-27 as School Choice Week in Texas, a time to highlight the importance of Texas parents and caregivers being able to enroll their children in the school that’s best for them.

As longtime area residents, my husband and I have seen firsthand how school choice has benefitted our children, especially our younger son, Jackson, who has excelled for nearly three years at Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS), a tuition-free online public school.

Because Jackson was unhappy with his in-person learning options, we decided to explore alternatives. I found TOPS after searching for state-accredited online schools.

I liked their student-centered approach to education and was thrilled when my sisters – both Texas educators – endorsed the idea of online learning. Since our decision to go virtual several years ago, we have never looked back.

Having the opportunity to choose what schools our children attend has been a game-changer for our whole family.

While our older son has thrived as a 9^th grader at a brick-and-mortar high school, Jackson, who’s now in 7^th grade, is enjoying taking 8^th grade English and math, as well as high school Spanish and communications classes in a virtual environment.

Both of our sons are experiencing wonderful educational opportunities that are suited to each of them. As a family, we would not be where we are today without school choice.

— Melissa Lopez, Fannett