Gov. Rhoden and Colleagues Request Inclusion of All Students in Trump's School Choice Initiative

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2026

Contact: Josie Harms

Gov. Rhoden and Colleagues Request Inclusion of All Students in President Trump's School Choice Initiative

PIERRE, S.D. - Today, Governor Larry Rhoden and the America First Policy Institute's Governors' Council sent a letter to United States Department of the Treasury, requesting them to clarify the inclusion of homeschool and microschool students in President Donald J. Trump's school choice initiative. You can find the letter here.

"We write to thank you for the thoughtful attention Treasury is giving to implementation of the Education Freedom Tax Credit," wrote Governor Larry Rhoden and his colleagues. "We are eager to see the program succeed on the broadest possible terms, empowering families with learning opportunities that meet the unique needs of each child. Homeschooling and microschool families are among those most hopeful about what the credit can offer."

Governor Rhoden previously opted in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit, which empowers individuals to donate to organizations that provide tax credit scholarships, allowing families to choose the type of instruction that works best for their kids.

Recent guidance indicated that a homeschool needs to be treated as a "school" under state law to be eligible for the program. Governor Rhoden and his colleagues urged Treasury to remove this restriction and clarify the inclusion of all students. Because each state has different classifications, some children in homeschools, microschools, or other forms of flexible education could be excluded by this guidance.

"We hope the proposed regulations will clarify that a child's eligibility for a scholarship does not depend on whether state law classifies the child's learning environment as a school, and that a program operating lawfully under a state's compulsory education laws is treated as a school for the purposes of the credit," continued Governor Larry Rhoden and his colleagues.

Governor Rhoden was joined in signing this letter by former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, Nebraska Governor James Pillen, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, and Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin.

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