Education secretary DeVos holds conference in Raleigh

Allaura Osborne says she would not have the opportunities she’s received at North Raleigh Christian Academy - if it wasn’t for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship.

"It's really opened a lot of doors for me," she said.

Osborne shared her story with the US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at a roundtable discussion on school in Raleigh Monday.

"Parents need to be able to make the best decisions for their children," DeVos said. "They know that now better than ever before."

Secretary Devos came to Raleigh to hear from students and parents about how they have met educational challenges presented by the pandemic – at the same time, the President and many members of his inner circle have contracted the virus

"We are continuing to do the work that we have been called here to do, and I am very thankful to be here in North Carolina here today," she said.

Parents for Educational Freedom hosted the event – they are a non-profit that promotes the opportunity scholarship.

The state-funded scholarship program provides families up to 42-hundred dollars a year to attend private schools.

Recent CARES Act Funding has opened the program to even more families by raising the income limit and removing the cap for kindergarten and first graders.

Critics say the program erodes the public-school system by spending public tax dollars on private education. Osborne does not see it that way.

"It's giving the possibility of a better education to anyone," she said.

It’s an opportunity that she says has been a life changer.