School bullies blockade Betsy
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ first visit to a public school was marred Friday when bullying protesters organized by Washington, DC’s teachers union blocked her from entering.
DeVos pulled up to the Jefferson Middle School Academy in DC at 10 a.m. for an event thatat was closed to the media, The Washington Post reported.
She tried entering through a side door but was blocked by two protesters, one of whom chased after her holding a “Black Lives Matter” sign.
The demonstrator tried to block her black limo from driving off by standing in front of it waving the sign, a video clip circulated on Twitter by WJLA-TV showed.
Several dozen members of the Washington Teachers’ Union, parents and other activists had gathered in front of the school as part of an organized action.
“Go back!” one man could be heard shouting.
“Shame! Shame! Shame!” a small crowd yelled.
“Keep giving money to the Senate and buying your way into the position,” a protester bellowed.
Union head Elizabeth Davis publicized DeVos’ visit on Twitter Thursday and urged protesters to “say ‘NO’ to privatization of our schools” — a knock on DeVos’ support for charters and vouchers as alternatives to failing public schools.
Davis said Friday morning that the union was supporting Jefferson teachers.
“We want to share the message that we love our public school system,” Davis told reporters outside Jefferson, one of the city’s top-performing public schools.
“Public education teachers believe that public education is the cornerstone, it’s the foundation of our society.”
Another image on Twitter showed DeVos did eventually get into Jefferson through another door.
Teachers at the school were upset by her visit and planned to wear black to show their disapproval, sources told the paper.
DeVos, who has spent decades lobbying for private-school vouchers, charter schools and other alternatives to traditional public schools, was one of President Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks.
The Senate confirmed her Tuesday with a historic tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence.
Protesters on Friday blocked new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a Washington, DC, schoolhouse door — a new low in left-wing “activism.” Some waved Black Lives Matter placards, but the protest was organized by the Washington Teachers-Union and its parent union, American Federation of Teachers.
Indeed, “black lives matter” is rather DeVos’ point. She’s spent decades fighting for greater educational opportunity for the poor and underprivileged: Much as the teachers unions want to deny it, that’s the entire point of school choice.
And she’s pointedly started her tenure by embracing minority education. DeVos eventually made it into Jefferson Academy, a predominately African-American middle school, by another entrance, and met with students and staff. The day before, she visited Howard University, a historically black college, to meet with school leaders.
The video of a mob physically denying DeVos access to the school should shock the conscience of Democratic Party leaders and of AFT chief Randi Weingarten.
One person was arrested; DC Metro police are reportedly determining whether DeVos was physically assaulted.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser felt obliged to weigh in via Twitter: “We do not condone violence toward anyone,” and “We welcome Betsy DeVos & anyone who wants to learn more about our schools.”
Weingarten herself tweeted: “We don’t condone such acts. We want her to go to [public schools].”
But the fact is, her union set up the protest of DeVos’ visit to a public school — and then failed to control the protesters it recruited for the stunt.
Weingarten and her allies have had their say against DeVos — pushing every Democratic senator, plus two Republicans, to vote against her confirmation. They viciously smeared her as an ignorant, out-of-touch billionaire bigot.
They lost — can’t they at least wait until she does something arguably objectionable before harassing her?
We understand the unions feel threatened by school choice — but that’s no license for teachers to sponsor goonish intimidation.
For shame.