Vice President Michael Pence swore Betsy DeVos in as the Secretary of Education on Feb. 7, after casting the vote to break the Senate’s divided 50-50 tie.
DeVos was educated in private Christian schools and has no professional nor personal experience with public education. DeVos’s lack of experience has many Americans alarmed about how she will affect the public education system, especially in terms of special education.
On Jan. 17, DeVos said that the states should be responsible for dealing with the funds to meet the requirements of IDEA, a federal program that protects the rights of students with disabilities. By allowing the states to manage the funds, not all students with special needs will receive equal rights in school.
“It is too early to see how her appointment may affect the special education program at TCHS,” Special education teacher Mr. Nathan Slaymaker said. “I hope that, as DeVos learns more about IDEA, she will emphatically support its implementation in public schools.”
DeVos also supports the concept of school choice. School choice allows parents to receive government funds in order to send their kids to their ideal school. However, this is disadvantageous to students with special needs, because if school choice is employed, those students will not be able to go to charter and private schools with better learning environments, as other kids without special needs will have better chances to get in.
“As a teacher of students with special needs and someone who genuinely cares about those needs being met, DeVos’ appointment does have me quite apprehensive,” Mr. Slaymaker said. “The schools that DeVos has championed in the past have not had much regard for students with special needs. I have had students who are visually impaired in my classroom that have been rejected from nearby charter schools.”
Despite reservations towards DeVos’s policy, she vows to continue to enforce all federal laws for students with disabilities.
TCHS School Newspaper