News Release NSEA
LINCOLN, Neb. – Remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos’ calling COVID-19 “a good thing” for schools has earned a strong rebuke from the president of the Nebraska State Education Association.
“Devos’ remarks are outrageous. How can anyone – let alone the U.S. Secretary of Education – say COVID-19 is ‘a good thing’ for our kids’ schools?” said Jenni Benson, NSEA president. “Betsy Devos’ comment underlines her complete lack of experience or understanding of what takes place every day in our public school classrooms.”
Devos, a Michigan billionaire, has for years pushed for vouchers and similar schemes that use taxpayer money for private schools. In her ongoing effort to destroy public education, DeVos is now attempting to use the pandemic to hurt our kids’ public schools.
“Parents and teachers are disgusted that Devos is trying to use this deadly pandemic to promote her policy initiatives,” said Benson.
DeVos is “completely detached from the real world of tight family budgets, job force reductions, poor or no health care, depleted savings and so much more,” Benson said.
“There's a reason she was chosen by the current administration: she is part of the same elitist, out-of-touch, ‘let them eat cake’ attitude,” said Benson. “They are gleefully detached from the rest of us in their world of celebrity, mansions, yachts, private jets, private stadium suites, private gated communities, and elite private schools for their progeny – and they prefer their private schools be paid for by the rest of us through our tax dollars!”
Nebraska schools and educators turned on a dime to respond to COVID-19 pandemic. From offering completely remote learning in last Spring, to blended learning, to all in-person school learning and rotating schedules. Our public school teachers, parents and students stepped up to meet the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic and they continue to do so.
“All of this has required extensive extra work, time and emotion by teachers and school employees to serve the needs of their students. Devos’ deliberately insensitive comment does a great disservice to these professionals who have worked so very hard,” said Benson.
In July, a controversial DeVos rule went into effect that dictates how coronavirus relief aid should be apportioned to private schools. Two federal judges in the past week have issued preliminary injunctions on the order, saying the Education Department ignored the obvious intent of Congress.
“Devos’ privatization efforts would only benefit DeVos, her family and her tiny but vastly wealthy and powerful circle of friends,” said Benson. “Her Wall Street buddies have been salivating over profiting from our children’s education for decades and are pursuing this privatization agenda as the best way to privatize all our K-12 public schools.”
“DeVos was never qualified to be Secretary of Education, she should never have been appointed, and I am sure she will and should be the first to go when Americans vote to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“I encourage pro-education Nebraskans who want to join our effort to visit the Education Votes website for more details,” said Benson.
The website is at: https://bit.ly/2DnwfXMm
The Nebraska State Education Association is a member-directed professional employee organization representing 28,000 public school teachers and other educational professionals across Nebraska.
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization,
representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.