President Praises Secretary DeVos, Calls ‘Local Control’ of Schools ‘Critical’
While his tax plan may be making big headlines today, earlier this afternoon President Donald Trump held a signing ceremony and delivered a speech on the “critical” importance of “local control” over schools.
The President also praised Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and signed an executive order giving her 300 days to propose massive cuts in federal oversight of schools and educational institutions.
“It shall be the policy of the executive branch to protect and preserve State and local control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, and personnel of educational institutions, schools, and school systems,” Trump’s order, “Enforcing Statutory Prohibitions on Federal Control of Education” reads.
It directs the Secretary of Education to review all Department of Education “regulations and guidance documents” to “examine whether these regulations and guidance documents comply with Federal laws that prohibit the Department from exercising any direction, supervision, or control over areas subject to State and local control.”
DeVos, a charter schools activist, no doubt will be thrilled to remove regulations from local schools. In February she told attendees at the far right wing CPAC conference that President Obama’s guidance protecting transgender students was an example of “huge overreach.”
Some of the possible results of President Trump’s order could be further inclusion of right wing religious teachings in schools and even text books, ending efforts to ensure children with special needs get an education equivalent to that of their peers, and overall falling standards of learning.
Here’s his full speech from Wednesday afternoon:
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