WASHINGTONThe nations largest union, the 3-million-member National Education Association, has demanded GOP President Donald Trumps Education Secretary, Republican big giver Elizabeth Betsy DeVos, quit.
On the 1-year anniversary of DeVos controversial confirmation Vice President Mike Pence had to break a 50-50 Senate tie on it the NEA said DeVos failed in the job.
She was utterly unqualified and unprepared then and represented a bad agenda for public school students and teachers, union President Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, an elementary school teacher from Salt Lake City, said. And DeVos hasnt improved in the ensuing year.
DeVosisnt an educator, or an education leader. In fact, she has no relevant credentials or experience.She has had zero experience in public schools, except trying to undermine and obliterate the very system that opens its doors to all, not just a few,students.
Weknew she failedMichigansstudents, by pushing a voucher system there. Now shes failing students across the country.
Every decision she has madesince being confirmed is proofshe still does not have the best interest of students at heart, that she does not understand the mission and importance of public schoolsor the importance of students civil rights in schools and on campuses. As the nation'stopadvocate for students, that is incredibly troubling.
Her actions during her first year in office betrayed and undermined the fundamental mission public schoolshaveto provide opportunity for every student who walks through the
door.She doesnt understand the concept of public schools schools open toallstudents,
no matter what language is spoken at home, what the family income is, what their religion or race is, what abilities or disabilities they have, whether they are gay, straight, or transgender.
DeVos married into the rich, right-wing Michigan family who owned the Amway Corp., a scheme that took advantage of low-income people seeking to get rich quick. An ex-Michigan GOP chair, DeVos used her Amway money in campaigns to trash public schools and teachers.
Her confirmation overcame opposition from NEA and the American Federation of Teachers, civil rights groups, citizens groups and disability rights groups, among others.
They criticized and still do her lack of knowledge and commitment to the public schools, which teach 90 percent of U.S. children, her hatred of unions and teachers and her campaign for taxpayer-paid vouchers for parents of private school kids.
Since then, the unions added DeVos rollback of civil rights protections and denial of student loan forgiveness to for-profit college students whose institutions first cheated them, then went broke or closed, to the secretarys report card.
All that led both Eskelsen-Garcia and AFT President Randi Weingarten to show up at the departments doors on Feb. 8, boxes with thousands of petitions in hand, and teachers and TV cameras in tow, to demand DeVos meet with parents, teachers and students. DeVos guards locked them out.
Students, educators, parents, civil rights and special education advocates along with millions of Americans have been speakingout,loud and clear:We are here to stayandwe will protectour students andpublic education, Eskelsen-Garcia said. NEA also started on on-line petition demanding DeVos resign, while AFT is soliciting grades of DeVos.
Source: PAI