Dear Governor Rick Scott and Leaders of the Florida Senate and House,

I am counting on you to help pass the Parent Empowerment Act during the next legislative session.

1. It gives parents political power. Parents need a platform to engage in discussions on how to improve their child's failing school and, most importantly, to provide leverage for these moms and dads to achieve real change. Currently, countless Florida parents are limited to sending their children to persistently failing public schools year after year. Moms and dads want to provide their child with a solid, quality education, one that will launch their son or daughter to achieve their dreams. The more involved a parent is in their child's education, the greater chance that child has to succeed.

2. Parental power actually works. In California, where the "parent trigger" was born, parents have used this law to successfully negotiate as equals with the school district and demand the programs and access to technology they see in schools with different zip codes. They seek real changes from their schools that will ensure a high quality education for their child.

3. Parent empowerment is a bipartisan issue. The parent trigger movement is an example of Democrats and Republicans working together to empower moms and dads with information and tools to engage and invest in their child's schools.

When you empower parents to make choices, you improve all schools. This should be something we all support.