Following her own bout of harassment from the left for her views, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos took to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) stage last week to encourage conservative college kids to speak up. Watchdog.org reports:
After her brief opening remarks, DeVos was interviewed by CNN commentator Kayleigh McEnany. While much of the focus of the interview was on school choice and DeVos’ recent letter regarding Obama-era guidance on school bathrooms, McEnany briefly touched on the issue of academic freedom, asking DeVos what advice she would give to conservative students who feel “bullied” after sharing their views.
“I think my first advice would be don’t shut up. Keep talking. Keep making your arguments,” DeVos said, to applause. “You can do so respectfully and with civility, but I think you need to do so with confidence.
“We need to have opposing viewpoints and differing ideas in an academic environment and any environment where ideas are necessary to be exchanged,” she added, again encouraging students to bring their ideas to the table.
CPAC is a good place to bring conservative ideas to the table, and let’s hope DeVos doesn’t “shut up” anytime soon when it comes to speaking up about expanding school choice in the states.
SOURCE: Watchdog.org
IN THIS ISSUE:
- CHICAGO: A Chicago charter school group presents research showing its schools are doing a better job at getting graduates into college.
- NEW JERSEY: Hundreds of New Jersey charter school advocates voice their support for charters at the state capitol.
- NEVADA: Two bills to get Nevada’s ESA program funded are reportedly in the works.
- NASHVILLE: Nashville’s Board of Education is getting set to condemn school vouchers, Nashville Public Radio reports.
- MONTANTA: Montana is one step closer to establishing charter schools, as a bill to do so has passed the House of Representatives.
- TEXAS: A group of homeschooling parents in the Lone Star State are fighting a school choice bill they say threatens their freedoms.
Common Core and Curriculum Watch
- NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire’s Senate passes a bill making the use of Common Core optional in district schools.
- CALIFORNIA: A Hindu-American group is suing the California Department of Education, alleging the state curriculum is discriminatory.
- DALLAS: The Dallas County school bus service is debt-ridden and dangerous, Watchdog.org reports.
- UNIFORMS: The Milwaukee School Board is mandating students wear uniforms, though parents can opt their children out of the wardrobe requirement if they want.
- TRANSGENDER: The Trump administration has recalled transgender bathroom rules made by the Obama administration, and both sides of the argument, The Hill reports, want the Supreme Court to settle the matter.
- IMMIGRATION: Several public school districts say they won’t cooperate with U.S. immigration officials trying to enforce immigration laws unless they have a criminal warrant.
Thank you for reading! If you need a quicker fix of news about school choice, you can find daily updates online at https://heartland.org/topics/education.
Teresa Mull is a policy advisor for education and an editor at The Heartland Institute.
