A crowd of teachers, parents and students lined up along a busy Nashville street to fight back against President Donald Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary.
The protest was located outside Senator Lamar Alexander’s office on West End Avenue. Sen. Alexander is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the committee that will vote on her nomination. Protesters hoped to encourage him not to vote to confirm Betsy DeVos.
Crowd of protesters growing along West End Ave. They are chanting 'Betsy DeVos has to to go!' pic.twitter.com/I62mwujnF5
— Emily Luxen (@NC5_EmilyLuxen) January 27, 2017
“As a public school parent and former teacher, to have someone like Betsy DeVos nominated is a slap in the face,” said Mary Holden, a parent and former teacher.
“She has done terrible things to schools in Michigan, and I don’t want her to do that to Tennessee,” added Amanda Kail, a Metro teacher.
State representatives Mike Stewart and Bo Mitchell also addressed the crowd.
“Miss DeVos is the first Education Secretary nominee who is fundamentally opposed to the concept of public schools,” said Rep. Mike Stewart, a Democrat who represents Davidson County.
Protesters said DeVos is has given millions of dollars to groups that advocate for school privatization and voucher programs. They described her as “unqualified,” and said if she was confirmed, she would only hurt the public school system.
‘I think it’s important to let people know our children are more important than to give them someone who makes donations to end public education,” said Larry Proffitt, a teacher.
Others expressed concerns she came across as unprepared during her confirmation hearing, and seemed unaware of some federal education laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities.
“We really have to have someone heading the Education Department who understand IDEA and how important it is to families like us,” said Jolene Sharp, a parent of a special needs child.
Supporters praise DeVos for being a longtime advocate of school choice. She heads up the pro-charter and pro-school-voucher nonprofit American Federation for Children.
Sen. Alexander has not indicated how he will vote, but has defended DeVos against critics.
A spokesperson for his office acknowledged they have been flooded with phone calls from constituents at both the local and Washington, D.C. offices, and have been working to respond as quickly as possible.
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee will vote on DeVos Jan. 31.
