Latest DeVos Worry: Ignoring Anti-Discrimination Laws Protecting LGBTQ Students
U.S. Secretary Betsy DeVos had another rough day in Congress this week when Senators grilled her on the details of her budget which slashes over $9 billion from the education department and diverts $1.4 billion to privately operated schools such as charter schools and private schools.
Even Republican senators expressed strong reservations for cuts to Special Olympics, after-school programs, and a cluster of programs for supporting low-income and first-generation college students.
But the fireworks in the media focused primary on what DeVos said about enforcing federal government laws related to discrimination in schools.
Senators pointed out that her ideas for diverting public money to private institutions could result in federal dollars going to schools that discriminate against students on religion, their sexual orientation, or other characteristics.
DeVos repeatedly insisted, “Schools that receive federal funds must follow federal law. Period.” But when senators tried pinning her down on whether federal money would go to schools that discriminate against LGBTQ students, she stated, “On areas where the law is unsettled, this department is not going to be issuing decrees.”
DeVos’s comments promptedLatest DeVos Worry: Ignoring Anti-Discrimination Laws Protecting LGBTQ Students | Alternet: