Opposition Grows on DeVos Nomination: Add Your Voice!

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education on Tuesday. Senator Franken is saying he won't vote for her, and neither will any of his Democratic colleagues. The question is whether any Republicans are willing to break from party lines to do the right thing and reject one of the least qualified Cabinet nominees in recent history.

It's clear that Betsy DeVos is not qualified for the job of @usedgov Sec., & I will not be supporting her nomination https://t.co/3cXbnzXCvD

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) January 19, 2017

I will be voting against Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. We must strengthen public education in America, not destroy it.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 26, 2017

Thousands of anti-DeVos calls jam Senate phone lines https://t.co/BC2e2a5ZNz pic.twitter.com/iJiWrFvotC

— The Hill (@thehill) January 27, 2017

Talking to Rachel Maddow last night, Sen. Franken said, “You talk about DeVos. She is someone that there’s not going to be one Democratic vote for her, and we’re trying to find Republicans who will vote against her because she’s an ideologue who knows next to nothing about education policy as we demonstrated, or she demonstrated really, in her confirmation hearing.”

More than a million people have signed petitions against her nomination, and tens of thousands of people have contacted senators to express their opposition. In addition, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities sent a letter to the committee with a list of questions they want Ms. DeVos to answer before being confirmed, especially since she seems to either not understand or not support the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the most important legislation protecting the rights of 6.5 million students with disabilities. The letter concludes:

"A committee vote on Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education should be delayed until Mrs. DeVos has fully answered the above questions, and allows Committee members the opportunity to fully understand how she plans to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality education with their peers as required by federal statute."

People like you can make a difference. Call 202-225-3121 and tell your representative and senators that you oppose Betsy DeVos, and why.

LA Times: "Betsy DeVos Embarrassed Herself and Should Be Rejected by the Senate"

In a strongly worded editorial, the Los Angeles Times says Betsy DeVos, President Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education "doesn't meet the basic qualifications for the post." Stating that her support of school vouchers and her lack of experience in public schools do not disqualify her, "what did render her unacceptable was her abysmal performance at her confirmation hearing, during which she displayed an astonishing ignorance about basic education issues, an extraordinary lack of thoughtfulness about ongoing debates in the field, and an unwillingness to respond to important questions."

It goes on to say, "She was so unprepared that she sounded like a schoolchild who hadn't done her homework. She frankly embarrassed herself and should be rejected by the Senate. Better yet, President-elect Donald Trump should withdraw her name and find someone who at least meets the basic qualifications for the post."

If you agree, what can you do about it? Sign this petition TODAY: "Tell Senate Democrats: Block and resist Betsy DeVos's confirmation as secretary of education."

Betsy DeVos "Unqualified, Unprepared, and Unfit" for Department of Education

Diane Ravitch

Betsy DeVos, President Trump's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Education, is facing strong opposition from elected officials, education advocates, parents, and others because of her lack of experience in and understanding of public schools. The vote, originally scheduled for tomorrow, will be held Jan. 31. That gives you more time to add your voice in opposition. Sign this petition TODAY: "Tell Senate Democrats: Block and resist Betsy DeVos's confirmation as secretary of education."

Diane Ravitch, a respected education professor who held senior roles in the Department of Education in both Republican and Democratic administrations, is no fan of DeVos. In an open letter to her former boss, Senator Lamar Alexander, who now chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, she said DeVos would be "the first Secretary of Education in our history to be hostile to public education."

She writes, "Now you are in a position of selecting a new Secretary of Education. I watched the hearings, and it was evident to all but the most extreme partisans that Ms. DeVos is unqualified, unprepared, and unfit for the responsibility of running this important agency.....Her lack of experience leaves her ill-equipped to address the needs of the vast majority of American schools....At least 85 percent of American school children attend public schools. She has no ideas about how to improve public schools. Her only idea is that students should enroll in non-public schools."

She also cites statistics showing that DeVos's influence on Michigan schools is hardly a model for our nation. After embracing her approach to school choice, Michigan has gone from 28th to 41st in fourth-grade reading and dropped from 27th to 42nd in fourth-grade math. Eighty percent of charter schools in Michigan are run by for-profit companies, who make more than $1 billion a year, operate without accountability or transparency, and do not show better results than public schools.

President Trump Reveals Disability Agenda

Sorry for the clickbait headline, but here's the current disability page on whitehouse.gov. The URL for this page was https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/disabilities.

You'll see the same blank page if you look for the link to contact the Disability Issues Outreach Team or the fact sheet on expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. President Trump's campaign had no position on its website, and now his administration has removed all references to disability policy and rights on the official White House website.

Read "Trump White House Takes Down Website Pages About Disabilities."

Please contact me if you see any disability information added to the White House website. I will gladly share it with others. In the meantime, you can recall the many ways that President Obama supported people with disabilities on this archived page -- obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/disabilities. And don't tell anyone at the White House, but disability.gov is alive and well -- full of helpful information about benefits, civil rights, education, jobs, health, housing, and more.

Just When I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In

Sometimes it's exhausting following and reporting on disability policy. There are so many setbacks and so many uphill battles. But ever since I started this blog in 2008, I've kept doing it because there are so few outlets for this kind of advocacy.

After Trump was elected, I didn't expect to like any of his Cabinet nominees. But how could I have predicted what an absolute disaster Betsy DeVos would be for all students, including those with special needs? Support vouchers and Christian education all you want, but after carefully preparing for your confirmation hearing, you really don't know about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? These protections should be "left to the states"?

Assuming Ms. DeVos is confirmed (as the least qualified Education Secretary in our history), I'm going to need to keep this blog going and advocate in many other ways. Which makes me think of this quote from the otherwise terrible "Godfather III."

Nominee for Secretary of Education "Confused" about Federal Protections for Students with Disabilities

In a field of unqualified Cabinet nominees, Betsy DeVos may be the most terrifying for families who have children with disabilities. I knew that Ms. DeVos had never attended a public school or sent her own children to a public school, but her exchanges in her confirmation hearings were downright scary.

Read "Betsy DeVos Apparently 'Confused About Federal Law Protecting Students with Disabilities" from the Washington Post and watch "6 head-scratching moments" from her confirmation hearing:

Disability Advocates React to Potential Secretary of Education: It Ain't Pretty

Tonight I went on Twitter and asked for any organization or parent who cares about special education to tell me why they support Betsy DeVos, President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education. I'm reading all the reactions I can find, and let's just say it's not exactly a balanced debate. The consensus: She's unqualified, has no history of supporting public education, and at best is "confused" about the rights of students with disabilities. Here's a small sampling:

Charles P. Fox, a Chicago attorney who has a child with special needs and writes the insightful "Special Education Law Blog," was way out ahead of this issue, blogging back on Dec. 7 about "Defending Public Education under Secretary of Education DeVos." About special education, he notes that while charter schools must adhere to federal laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a 2012 report from the Government Accountability Office noted that "federal intervention is needed to ensure that students with disabilities are able to access their free appropriate public education in charter schools." He predicted we'd be reading a lot more about this nominee, and he was right.

Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project:
"She kept repeating that it's a matter for the states when this is a federal act. This is pretty basic knowledge that any educational professional should have."

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH):
"Not only did Mrs. DeVos decline to commit to enforcing IDEA, but she said she was confused about whether it's a federal law. The fact that a nominee to lead the Department of Education seemed unfamiliar with the federal law to protect students with disabilities -- a law that she would have a major responsibility in enforcing -- is unacceptable."

American Association of People with Disabilities:
We are "very concerned that Ms. DeVos seems unfamiliar with the IDEA and the protections it provides to students with disabilities. Should Ms. DeVos be confirmed as Secretary of Education, she must become more familiar with the law and commit to ensuring that it is fully funded and enforced."

Denise Marshall, executive director of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA):
“The fact that she doesn’t understand the basics about federal education law is just appalling. It was pretty clear to us that she is not, and never has been, an advocate for students with disabilities. We are alarmingly concerned."

Lindsay Jones, National Center for Learning Disabilities:
“Parents of children with disabilities want the next U.S. secretary of education to uphold the federal rights, protections and opportunities provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Anything less is a disservice to America’s 6 million students with disabilities. It is clear we have more to learn about where Ms. DeVos stands on this topic and how she will ensure our children are protected.”

As the parent of a child with disabilities, I found the Ed Secy-designate's answers kind of appalling. https://t.co/QJNwWJq5pd

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 18, 2017

I went on @MSNBC to discuss my concerns with Betsy DeVos' lack of understanding of challenges facing students with disabilities pic.twitter.com/VbspXq1zhc

— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) January 19, 2017

There is no precedent for a @usedgov secretary with the lack of experience in public education that Betsy DeVos has.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 17, 2017

Betsy DeVos has proven that she is wholly unqualified to lead the Department of Education.

Call your senators: https://t.co/royTVRhN5t pic.twitter.com/WbHlQdyQpv

— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) January 19, 2017

"My Daughter with Autism Relies on Public Education, and I'm Terrified for the Future"

My Daughter With Autism Relies on Public Education & I'm Terrified for the Future #BetsyDeVos #Trump #autism https://t.co/G25rQxRQzX

— Jody Allard (@sendvodka) January 19, 2017

"I Have a Special-Needs Son, and Betsy DeVos Scares Me to Death"

My son wasn't “educable” until the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—which Betsy DeVos hasn’t heard ofhttps://t.co/14owXz7YmY pic.twitter.com/cwnQhTFbva

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 19, 2017

Education Secretary Nominee on Special Education Rights (with full video)

Yesterday, we were introduced to Betsy DeVos, President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education. In her hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, she seemed unaware that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is 1) a federal law and that 2) it protects the rights of all students in schools that accept federal funding. When asked by Senator Tim Kaine if all K-12 schools should be required to meet the requirements of the IDEA, she responded, "I think that is a matter better left to the states."

When Senator Maggie Hassan, who has a son with special needs, expressed concern that Ms. DeVos seemed unfamiliar with the federal legislation passed in 1990, Ms. DeVos said she'd be "sensitive" to the needs of special needs students. Senator Hassan replied: "With all due respect, it is not about sensitivity, although that helps. It’s about being willing to enforce the law to make sure that my child and every child has the same access to public education, high quality public education. And the reality is, the way the voucher systems that you supported work don’t always come out that way." 

Watch the full hearing.

Highlights (lowlights):

Sen. Kaine: Let me move to my next question. Should all K-12 schools receiving governmental funding be required to meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?
Ms. DeVos: I think they already are.
Sen. Kaine: But I’m asking you a should question. Whether they are or not we’ll get into that later. Should all schools that receive taxpayer funding be required to meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?
Ms. DeVos: I think that is a matter better left to the states.
Sen. Kaine: So some states might be good to students with disabilities, other state might not be so good, and then what? People can move around the country if they don’t like how their kids are being treated?
Ms. DeVos: I think that is an issue best left to the states.
Sen. Kaine: What about the federal requirement? It’s a federal law – the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Let’s limit it to federal funding. If schools receive federal funding, should they be required to follow federal law? Whether they’re public, public charter, or private?
Ms. DeVos: As the Senator referred to – the Florida program, there are many parents who are happy with the program there.
Sen. Kaine: Let me say this, I think all schools that receive federal funding, public charter, or public, should be required to follow the individuals with disabilities and education act. Do you agree with me?
Ms. DeVos: I think that is worth a discussion.
Sen. Kaine: So you cannot agree with me. And finally, should all K-12 schools receiving government funding be required to report the same information in instances of harassment and bullying? If they receive federal funding.
Ms. DeVos: I think that federal funding certainly comes with strings attached.
Sen. Kaine: I think all such schools should be required to report, equally, information about discipline, harassment, and bullying. Do you agree with me or not?
Ms. DeVos: I would look forward to reviewing that provision.
Sen. Kaine: If it was a court I would say let the judges direct the witness to answer the question. It’s not a court, you’re not under oath, not under subpoena, but you are trying to win my vote.


Sen. Hassan: The other thing I just wanted to circle back to – I want to go back to the individuals with disabilities and education act. That’s a federal civil rights law. So do you stand by your statement a few minutes ago that it should be up to the states whether to follow it?
Ms. DeVos: Federal law must be followed where federal dollars are in play.
Sen. Hassan: So were you unaware when i just asked you about the idea that it is a federal law?Ms. DeVos: I may have confused it.
Sen. Hassan: It guarantees absolutely basic protections to students with disabilities to ensure they are given a high-quality education with their peers. One reason it is difficult to have this hearing and feel that we fully understand your perspective is because we do know that children with disabilities – at least in some of the voucher programs that you have supported – have gone with a voucher to their school because of their disability, they have to leave the school, the school keeps the money, and they go back to public schools, that now have even less resources for them. Many of us see this as the potential for turning our public schools into warehouses for the most challenging kids with disabilities, or the kids whose parents cannot afford to make up the difference between the voucher and the cost of private school tuition. I would urge you to become familiar, should you be nominated, with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And I do have to say I’m concerned that you seem so unfamiliar with it, and that you seem to support vouchers schools that have not honored, that have made students sign away their rights to make sure that that the law is enforced. That is very troubling to me.
Ms. DeVos: Senator I assure you, if confirmed, I will be very sensitive to the needs of special needs students and the policies surrounding that.
Sen. Hassan: With all due respect, it is not about sensitivity, although that helps. It’s about being willing to enforce the law to make sure that my child and every child has the same access to public education, high quality public education. And the reality is, the way the voucher systems that you supported work don’t always come out that way. And that’s why it is something we need to continue to explore.