Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a contentious visit to the site of last month’s Florida school shooting Wednesday, in which she was criticized by survivors and abruptly walked out of her own press conference.
DeVos spent the morning at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where former student Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 students and teachers on Valentine’s Day. Her visit immediately sparked criticism and backlash from shooting survivors and advocates on social media.
"Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke to me and only a handful of students. She did not properly answer my only question," Kyra Parrow
tweeted. "She did not sit down with any students and asked what we wanted. Douglas has 3,000 students. None of them were invited."
Members of the media received similar treatment from DeVos during a press conference later in the morning that lasted only 10 minutes or so. When pressed by reporters on the issue of arming school staff, with questions surrounding training standards and student opposition, DeVos suddenly walked away from her podium.
Taking only a handful of questions before she abruptly ended the brief press conference, DeVos did not discuss the specifics of her conversations with students nor the policies she believes need to be implemented to keep schools safe.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos leaves a news conference following a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the aftermath of a Feb. 14 mass shooting at the school. (LYNNE SLADKY/AP)
"I told the newspaper reporters that I would love to come back in an appropriate amount of time and just sit down and talk with them," she said amid the brief presser, adding that she toured the school with student journalists.
But Carly Novell, an editor for the student newspaper, "The Eagle Eye," said DeVos "refused to meet/speak with students."
"I don't understand the point of her being here," she tweeted.
"One student from each publication (tv prod./newspaper/yearbook) was able to see her and take pictures of her. No one followed her. We are part of a school publication and it's our job to report on a public figure visiting the school."
https://t.co/Oy6ALcDHLZ
DeVos also told reporters she made the trip because she wanted "to be there" for students who survived the tragedy, many of whom made it clear the education secretary was not a welcome guest at their school.
“Literally no one asked for this,” student Sarah Chadwick tweeted when DeVos’ visit to the Parkland school was first announced.
While dozens of others suggested protests and walk-outs, there were a select few calling on their classmates to engage with the visiting education chief.
“I’ve decided that I don’t think we should walk out, ignore or block her from entering,” Novell tweeted ahead of DeVos’ arrival. “I want to talk to her I want her to understand what we’re feeling. However, I doubt we’ll be able to discuss anything with her. She’ll probably just give us her sympathies and leave.”
DeVos immediately sparked backlash with her visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. (RHONA WISE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Novell said her concerns proved to be warranted and her classmates flocked to social media to put DeVos on notice for her short visit, during which they said she mostly shied away from addressing their concerns.
“Do something unexpected: answer our questions,” Aly Sheehy
tweeted at DeVos. “You came to our school just for publicity and avoided our questions for the 90 minutes you were actually here. How about you do your job?”
The brutal massacre at the Parkland school has forced the issue of gun violence and gun safety laws to the forefront, with student survivors fiercely calling for change and stricter regulations. President Trump has since proposed banning bump stocks and arming school staff.
DeVos, who once
advocated for arming teachers so that they might protect themselves from bears, also said she would support a program for personnel to be trained to carry firearms.
“Let’s be clear, I think to say ‘arming teachers’ is an over simplification. It isn’t a program that needs to be required or mandated for every community,” she told reporters Wednesday.
The Florida Senate earlier this week passed a provision that allows for school personnel to become certified law enforcement officers and carry weapons on campus. The House is slated to consider the measure — among others, including a bump stock ban and raising the age to buy a gun to 21.
Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade similarly paid a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wednesday, receiving a significantly warmer welcome than DeVos.
"Can Dwyane Wade be our new secretary of education?" Novell tweeted. "He's done 1000 times more than Betsy DeVos today."
