News
After Threat of Protest by Transgender Student Betsy Devos Mysteriously Cancels Secret Surprise School Visit
Once again Betsy DeVos tried to visit a school without informing parents, and once again they found out and a protest was planned.
Parents of students attending a Frederick, Maryland charter school were a bit curious when their children came home with permission slips to be photographed on Tuesday by the media – without any explanation as to why.
“We just would have liked to know who was visiting the school and what they were planning to do,” parent Eric Schobel, who debated keeping his child home, told The Frederick News-Post. “We didn’t want our child being used as a political football.”
Schobel’s instincts were right.
Students at the Frederick Classical Charter School would have been photographed with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who did not co-ordinate her visit with the Frederick County Public Schools or the Board of Education. DeVos was to appear as part of a joint visit with the Reading is Fundamental children’s literacy non-profit.
Somehow several parents learned that DeVos would be visiting on Tuesday, and some contacted the school to register their complaints.
They were not the only ones concerned that DeVos would be visiting.
“James van Kuilenburg, a transgender student at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, organized a protest for the same day as DeVos’ visit, due to the policy ideas DeVos has proposed and enacted. The protest has been canceled since DeVos is no longer visiting the school,” The Frederick News-Post notes.
Schools Superintendent Terry Alban in an email to a parent reportedly confirmed that DeVos was slated to vist, but a general email sent to all parents did not. It only stated that there would be no visit from the Dept. of Education. It did not mention DeVos by name.
It’s not the first time DeVos has tried to visit a school by surprise. And it’s not the first time she’s canceled because of scheduled protests.
RELATED STORIES:
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.