Earlier this month, residents of the Kearsarge Regional School District in New Hampshire voted to adopt a new open enrollment policy that explicitly refuses to allow its own students to exercise public school choice by using a loophole in the law that allows districts to set their own open enrollment policies. The district set the number of students who can leave and transfer at zero.
In plain terms, the district has chosen to block families from leaving, even when another public school may be a better fit for their child.
That is not protecting students. It is protecting the system.
Why this matters:
Families are not asking for something radical. They are asking for the ability to choose the public school that works best for their child. Whether for academic reasons, bullying, or because a school across district lines is simply a better fit or more convenient, the education system should adapt to meet the needs of the child. A recent national poll by YouGov found 74 percent of parents with K-12 students support open enrollment.
Kearsarge’s policy denies that basic freedom by design. It does not expand opportunity. It restricts it. It does not empower parents. It locks them in.
That is the opposite of what public education should stand for.
What we’re saying:
“The district’s policy is not about choice or fairness,” said Halli Faulkner, legislative director, yes. every kid. “It is about protecting the system at the expense of students. Public education should be built around students and parents, not around shielding institutions from change. This policy is rooted in control and conformity, and it runs counter to what students and families actually need. We urge the district to reconsider this policy immediately.”
The principle:
Real accountability in education comes from families having options and schools having to earn trust. When families can easily leave, schools have an incentive to improve. When families are trapped, schools have no such incentive and trust breaks down.
This policy removes that pressure and removes that accountability. The result? Students lose. Families lose. The system stays comfortable. That is not leadership. That is risk avoidance disguised as policy.
Public education exists to serve families, not the other way around. Kearsarge should reverse this decision and adopt a policy that trusts parents, respects students, and treats choice as a right, not a threat.
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