ACTION ALERT re Betsy DeVos: It's Worse Than We Thought (Stop Special Needs Vouchers, 18 January 2017)

[Stop Special Needs Vouchers]

Greetings from Stop Special Needs Vouchers!  Please forward this important Action Alert widely and quickly!

For the Sake of Students with Disabilities: Call to Oppose Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary

We already knew that Betsy DeVos, nominated by Donald Trump for the position of U.S. Secretary of Education, has used her billionaire financial clout to push school privatization, and expects a "return on investment."

Betsy DeVos, Trump's Big Donor Education Secretary (The New Yorker, 2016-11-23)
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/betsy-devos-trumps-big-donor-education-secretary

We knew that she has steered funding away from public schools, and that she has no public school experience either by employment or as a parent:

Education Advocates: DeVos Lacks Public School Experience (CNN, 2017-1-17)

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/politics/betsy-devos-public-education-experience-cnntv/

But we didn't know until her Senate confirmation hearing last night that DeVos is TERRIFYINGLY uninformed about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that guarantees students with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate public education.

At yesterday's hearing, DeVos was unaware that the IDEA is a federal law.  She said that states should have the right to decide whether or not to follow the IDEA; when confronted later in the hearing and asked directly if she understood the federal civil-rights nature of the IDEA, she responded, "I may have confused it."
Six astonishing things Betsy DeVos said - and refused to say - at her confirmation hearing (Washington Post, 18 January 2017)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/01/18/six-astonishing-things-betsy-devos-said-and-refused-to-say-at-her-confirmation-hearing/

This is utterly unacceptable.

Please take a few minutes today to call your US Senators and oppose the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education! 

Phone numbers for Wisconsin senators and a sample script are below.  If you have additional time, the contact information for senators on the HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) is attached.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin: (202) 224-5653
Sen. Ron Johnson: (202) 224-5323

Sample Script:
“Hello, my name is [your name]. I am calling from [your town and state] to ask [your Senator] to oppose Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. In the Senate confirmation hearings Tuesday night, DeVos revealed a stunning ignorance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as the IDEA, which requires public schools to provide free and appropriate education to all students with disabilities. She didn’t even know that the IDEA was a federal law, and refused to commit to protecting students with special needs. She wouldn’t commit to holding charter and voucher schools to the same standards as traditional public schools. Students with disabilities deserve a Secretary of Education who understands their needs and who understands the law that protects them. Please join me in opposing the appointment of Betsy DeVos."

THANK YOU for standing up for students with disabilities!

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