"While I was on a break between teaching groups of students with various learning disabilities, I received a message from my best friend, a fellow teacher. It said, 'Well, Betsy DeVos was accepted for the Secretary of Education position.' My immediate reaction was disappointment and uncertainty.
While I know many people will say, 'Of course you’re disappointed, you're a left-wing public school teacher who is going to be upset with any person appointed by a Republican president,' they are wrong.
I was raised in an exceptionally Republican household and attended private school. As an adult, my beliefs are moderate, and I voted neither Democrat nor Republican in the last election. In all honesty, I’m not an exceptionally political person, but my students mean everything to me, so I pay attention to how politics affect education.
I knew there was going to be trouble with Secretary DeVos’s appointment when Senator Tim Kaine asked Mrs. DeVos at her confirmation hearing if she believed that all schools that receive federal funding should be required to meet the requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and she responded by saying, 'I think that is a matter that is best left to the states.'
I work as a Special Education teacher, and this was the last thing I hoped to hear from the future Secretary of Education. IDEA legislation is the foundation of my entire job. DeVos's notion that IDEA legislation is best left to the states means there would be no federal oversight of Special Education amongst states. One state might exemplify Least Restrictive Environment for students with special needs, while other states may expose them to no general education – completely undermining the key principals of IDEA.
While this appointment is unfortunate, it has increased my motivation to teach my students and their parents to be advocates for themselves. I truly hope that Secretary DeVos wants to protect the rights of students with disabilities, but how can she do that if she doesn’t know what they are?"
