National School Choice Week celebrated at River City Science Academy 

(River City Science Academy is a member school of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools)

By Ben Ryan, Action News Jax (CBS47 and FOX30)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (January 29, 2021) — It’s National School Choice Week, a time to appreciate parents’ access to the wealth of K-12 education options for their children.

There’s no shortage of great options in Northeast Florida, which is great for brothers William and Tyler Grissom, who want to be the same thing when they grow up.

“An astronaut!” said the two.

They’re 1st and 3rd graders at River City Science Academy Elementary. Both attend the charter school for the love of science.

“It’s sophisticated and complicated,” William said. “We’re doing earth and space science, and I really like space.”

In Duval County, parents have a lot of alternative options other than the school your child is zoned for. There are dozens of magnet schools, 32 charter schools and even Duval Virtual Instruction Academy.

The pandemic is still playing a huge role in education. Action News Jax learned more than 1,300 students are in DVIA and more than 2,700 are learning virtually through Duval Homeroom.

As National School Choice Week celebrates a variety of educational environments, the Grissom boys’ mother, Deja Grissom, said having a school that keeps her children safe has been a relief.

“Even though it’s STEM focused, there’s loads of art, resources and activities,” Grissom said. “The kids are allowed to be creative here and show what’s different about each other.”

Duval County just wrapped up its School Choice Expo, which was held virtually this year because of the pandemic.