On the heels of the fiery debate over critical race theory comes the matter of school choice, which a Wisconsin-based Catholic conservative nonprofit political advocacy group asserts is necessary.

According to CatholicVote political director Josh Mercer, school choice counters what he calls “decades of Democrat-controlled education policy” that “enabled radical teachers unions to go off the rails.”

“We need school choice, now,” Mercer states on his organization’s website. “Kids deserve it. Parents need it. Justice demands it.”

A cadre of states with GOP-controlled legislatures – namely Arizona, South Carolina and Nebraska – have introduced measures that would leave school choice up to parents and students, CatholicVote reported.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, called on lawmakers in his state to prioritize school choice.

“This session, let’s expand school choice any way we can,” Ducey said in his State of the State address, CatholicVote reported. “Greater open enrollment. New transportation models. More charter schools. And more educational freedom for families — especially those in failing schools, or who can’t afford to pick up and move to a new neighborhood."

The governor challenged the legislators to “think big.”

“Send me the bills, and I’ll sign them,” Ducey said.

In Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial race, education was a hot topic, which Republican Glen Youngkin won over Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

According to the Independent Institute’s Catalyst, McAuliffe criticized parents for speaking out about what was being taught to their children and sided with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who compared school choice to segregation.

School choice is also a significant issue in mostly Democratic Illinois.

Wirepoints reported that a 2021 RealClear Opinion Survey revealed 83% of Republicans, 69% of Independents and 70% of Democrats support school choice, with 61% of Illinois voters – including 71 percent of black voters and 81 percent of Latino voters – in favor of the state’s small, existing school-choice program.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unsuccessfully proposed to reduce the amount of the program’s credit, a move opposed by his fellow Democrats.

In Chicago, classes were canceled for five days as the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Public Schools system engaged in negotiations over how classes will be taught, Fox News reported.

According to the network, union leaders clamored for virtual learning while CPS, the third-largest public school district in the U.S., and Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged for the continuation of face-to-face learning despite an increase of Omicron variant cases.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady backed Lightfoot’s position, stating the latest variant was less severe and more than 90 percent of CTU members are fully vaccinated, Fox News reported.

School choice is impossible for much of the CPS’s student body. Illinois Report Card showed 78% of CPS students belong to a low-income household, making transfers to other institutions difficult.