EDUCATION SECRETARY, BETSY DeVOS STEPS IN IT AGAIN

…The controversial Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos

DeVos wants to outfit public school teachers with firearms.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has been steeped in controversy ever since she was first nominated for that role in the Trump administration. 

I have been aware for years that many public school teachers dig into their own pockets for money for pencils, notebooks and other class supplies.  But I was surprised when a new study from the Education Department was released that said that 94% of public school teachers purchased supplies for their students.  That is ridiculous.

Now however, instead of the Education Secretary providing money for those school supplies and taking that cost off of the teachers backs, Betsy DeVos is now telling the states that they can use federal funds to purchase firearms and to pay for firearms training for teachers.

The school safety bill passed in March by Congress expressly prohibited using any of its money for weapons.  The guidance for “school preparedness” grants awarded by the Department of Homeland Security also dis-allows spending on arms and ammunition.

However, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, is being eyed by DeVos and education officials, and it includes no such prohibitions.

Such a move, as the New York Times has reported in disclosing the department’s internal discussions, would appear to be an unprecedented break with the current federal policy not to pay to outfit schools with firearms.

This plan is being supported by Ms. DeVos, but when others were asked about it, here were some responses:

“Sickening,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

“Perverse,” said JoAnn Bartoletti of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

And Fred Guttenberg, the father of a student killed in the Parkland, Fla., mass shooting, had this message on Twitter for Ms. DeVos: “After my daughter was murdered, you yelled ‘Don’t talk about guns, talk about mental health.’ ”

Guttenberg and other parents that lost children to gun violence from Sandy Hook to Parkland are totally disgusted with the on-going ignorance of Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration in general.

And just who would benefit by a firearms program like this?

Not those students still imperiled by previous gun violence. Not those parents still fearful for their children. Not the teachers, who have already given up some of their paychecks at Staples to outfit their 2018 classrooms.

No, the only beneficiaries would be the gun manufacturers and the NRA’s gun lobby.

One would hope that Ms. DeVos would recognizes whose interests she should be serving and quickly puts an end to any of these considerations.  But that would be too much commonsense for Ms. DeVos to display. 

If she persists with this misfire, Congress must act to stop her, but today, you surely can’t count on them either.

When will good ole commonsense start appearing again in Washington DC?

Under Donald Trump and DeVos, it ain’t going to happen.

Copyright G.Ater  2018