School safety panel will not look at guns ‘per se’
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was asked whether the panel she chairs will look at the role of guns. Her answer: Not “per se.”
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos appeared before a Senate subcommittee Tuesday and was asked whether the Federal Commission on School Safety that she chairs will look at the role of guns. Her answer: Not “per se.”
DeVos was questioned by Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing education funding about the Education Department’s 2019 budget. Their questions covered a range of issues, including why the Trump administration is seeking to cut funding for after-school programs and why she has hired people to deal with student loans who have worked in the troubled for-profit student loan sector. They also asked about her understanding of how to implement the K-12 education law known as the Every Student Succeeds Act.
DeVos heads the safety commission, which was created by President Donald Trump after the Feb. 14 shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He charged the commission with looking at a range of issues, including age restrictions for certain firearm purchases.
The panel has three other members: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. She has said the panel will seek “best practices” on how to keep schools safe and meet with experts and educators before releasing recommendations at the end of the year.
Last week, panel members took the first of four planned field trips to schools, this one to Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary in Hanover, Maryland, where the commission looked at a program called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, a strategy used at thousands of schools that emphasizes the teaching of good behavior.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., asked her whether the commission she leads will look at how school safety is affected by guns and gun violence.
“That is not part of the commission’s charge, per se,” she responded.
He asked her whether she thinks an 18-year-old student should be able to walk into a store and walk out with a semiautomatic rifle and a lot of ammunition.
She responded: “Well, sir, I know that this body and your counterparts on the other side of the Capitol have addressed a number of these issues.”
Leahy then said he was trying to give her questions that she could answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” He repeated the question. She responded: “I believe that is very much a matter for debate.”