Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Works Remotely From Michigan Mansion While Ordering Schools To Reopen

As learning institutions across the U.S. attempt to reopen mid-pandemic, public education advocates are reprimanding Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for working remotely from her sprawling mansion in Michigan – socially distancing herself – after she commanded, alongside President Donald Trump, that all learning institutions must completely reopen in-full and in-person this September. 

Education isn’t about school buildings or school systems. It’s about school children. They deserve to continue their education this fall in the ways and places that work for them. #SchoolChoiceNow pic.twitter.com/qTgvv1aoSa

— Secretary Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) August 11, 2020

Betsy DeVos is staying safely remote in her waterfront estate while she and Trump try to send your kids back to unsafe school environments.https://t.co/B6PAkH7Zke

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) August 11, 2020

Policymakers, parents and teachers are hotly contesting whether to resume normal learning operations, with at least 17 of the 20 largest school districts across the U.S. already electing to go fully remote this fall. Complaints about DeVos’s absence have erupted as critical decisions regarding schools have emerged.

DeVos is not only the country’s top education official, but she is also a staunch advocate for full and in-person learning.

DeVos, pressing schools to reopen, not touring public schools w poor ventilation systems; publicly raising alarms ab funding gaps
-Her public calendar mostly empty for weeks
-Last week declined to testify before Congress
-Public Superintendents Assoc hasn’t heard from all year

— Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) August 11, 2020

While major teachers’ unions are threatening to go on strike if schools open without adequate safety measures, the back-to-school plans are already approved for more than four million American students from the 17 districts. The unions are also sparking protests about the potential exposure of millions of teachers and students at risk of infection.

Betsy DeVos is demanding our students, teachers, and parents put themselves at risk across the country, but won’t even show up herself. She should reconsider holding district funding hostage for her political purposes.https://t.co/yLUz9fyGvZ

— Rep. Deb Haaland (@RepDebHaaland) August 11, 2020