Teachers union president condemns protests blocking DeVos from school

[Jose Garcia]

Source: The Hill

The president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on Friday condemned protests barring Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from entering a Washington, D.C., middle school.

“Just heard a protester blocked & almost knocked Secy @BetsyDeVos down at Jefferson.We don't condone such acts.We want her to go to pub schls,” Randi Weingarten tweeted.

@rweingarten
Just heard a protester blocked & almost knocked Secy @BetsyDeVos down at Jefferson.We don't condone such acts.We want her to go to pub schls
11:02 AM - 10 Feb 2017

The AFT has fiercely opposed DeVos since the GOP mega-donor was tapped to head the Education Department.



Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/318963-teachers-union-president-condemns-protests-blocking-devos-from

[eggplant]

1. There were like six people and she had police protection.

She clearly didn't want to go in. She's not used to in your face protesting.

[alarimer]

2. She could have found a friendlier venue for grandstanding

I mean there are plenty of conservative school districts in VA, which would have welcomed her. But DC, which is generally liberal? Not a chance in hell she will ever be welcome there.

I'm glad people are ornery. It's about time.

[sarah FAILIN]

13. How did anyone even know she was coming?

People don't just hang out at schools on the off chance they may need to protest something..

[ananda]

3. Too bad Randi!

People just don't like DeVos, for good reason!

I'm proud of them!

[radical noodle]

6. Also proud of them

The AFT, however, has to think about teachers first and this could backfire on public schools if it's not condemned. I bet Randi smiled broadly when she heard about it, then did what she had to do.

[Sunlei]

4. Republicans just setting up for criminalizing protest in America. Police have free reign now.

Police have free reign on "protests" set a toe in the road its a week in jail for you now. can't afford bail?, haha sit in jail for weeks, lose your job. Want to get out of jail before a jury trial? plead guilty. police will even push protesters around for a while until you take a miss step or touch them so they can arrest you. Welcome to Republicans-trumpland. Thanks for not voting or leaving ballot BLANK.

[Fluke a Snooker]

5. I'm PROUD of these heros!

This is what needs to be done EVERY time any GOP member does something in public...SHAME them! We will take back the government little by little, but this is what DEMOCRACY looks like!

[Shell_Seas]

7. Keep resisting

...every single one of Trump's swamp people.

[hamsterjill]

8. My understanding is that the protestors were parents and grandparents of the school children.

If these people don't have a right to protest someone coming to the school which their children attend, then who would?

"Almost knocked down" doesn't count. The video is all over today and I haven't seen anything in it that looks like she was "almost knocked down". She looked irritated and uncomfortable - and I'm fine with that. No one condones violence.

If there is something showing actions of the protestors to be otherwise, then I'm not aware of it, and someone please correct me.

[QC]

9. And Weingarten sells out again!

She never misses a chance to suck up to power.

[Retrograde]

10. If she can't deal with a handful of people

holding signs and shouting (the clip I saw doesn't seem to involve more than that) is she really qualified to lead a department that may make unpopular decisions?

While I think this particular protest was pointless and verging on childish (did any of them have children in that school? Or in the DC school system?) I think DeVos handled it badly.

[McKim]

11. Weingarten Had to Do This

Weingarten had to do this as a leader. Her personal opinions are not what is in play here. I am personally pleased that De Vos was heckled. I do want her to visit schools and see what a great job the staffs are doing. So far she has only been swimming in a Right Wing opinion stream. One supt. of our local public schools invited business CEOs to visit our high schools. When these business leaders visited they were stunned to find orderly hallways, happy students and teachers, real learning and a high quality atmosphere. They were surprised because they, like De Vos, have been fed a steady diet of garbage by school privatizer interests that had pushed it though the main stream media. Travel broadens, as they say.

[Ilsa]

14. I'm glad that it happened to DeVos once.

I'm not sure I want it to happen again. She holds power, and I don't want her punishing public schools. I want her to learn how wonderful public schools are, how they don't discriminate by race, religion, or disability. I want her to see that she could never replicate their success with her charter school ideas. And I want her to own up to the fact that she isn't prepared for her job.

[SCVDem]

12. AFT

The next union to die!

They don't seem to care.