Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos met with leading educators from across the nation on Monday, but entered into a "verbal sparring session" with one teacher over the effect her policies have had on public schools, HuffPost reported.
DeVos met over 50 teachers, all of whom had been named a 2018 teacher of the year in their states, in a roundtable setting behind closed doors. Those teachers were asked to outline some of the problems they face as teachers and were able to ask DeVos questions.
Oklahoma teacher of the year John Hazell, a Republican who voted for President Donald Trump, explained to DeVos that public schools in his state have lost resources due to school choice policies, specifically mentioning voucher programs for private schools, which the education secretary endorses. The secretary replied that students may choose private schools in order to leave low-performing public schools.
"I said, 'You're the one creating the 'bad' schools by taking all the kids that can afford to get out and leaving the kids who can't behind,'" Hazell said in response, noting to the Post that he didn't mean DeVos herself was making the schools "bad," but was blaming the school choice policies.
Teachers also report that DeVos described private and charter schools as paths of the same public school system.
"That was a shocker to all the teachers in the room," Hazell said.
California teacher of the year Brian McDaniel described the back-and-forth as nearly a "verbal sparring session," and that the secretary's staffers looked as though they wanted to take Hazell's microphone away, though they made no attempt to do so.
DeVos herself, however, appeared friendly and attentive, according to Hazell and McDaniel, who added that she seemed respectful of their opinions, and that teachers were respectful in how they expressed their concerns to her.
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