Betsy DeVos and the Separation of Church and State During Covid-19
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who is supposed to represent public schools, recently visited a Catholic school in Grand Rapids. She used this school to irresponsibly drive home the idea that it’s safe to have in-person classes. She said All schools in MI need an in-person option. Sacred Heart shows that it can be done. Then she thanked the teachers and staff for putting students’ needs first. She ended her tweet with #SchoolChoiceNow.
DeVos might have thought to drive east to visit Detroit schools. She could have stopped on her way to see how the children in Flint were doing. The truth is 86 percent of Michigan’s school districts have some face-to-face options, but balancing how to safely deal with an unprecedented virus takes careful thought and study. It isn’t simply an either-or situation.
DeVos has made it a point to visit many private and parochial schools since she became education secretary, even though her primary obligation is to public schools. She positively highlights the schools she visits, always sending the message that they’re better than public schools.
In this effort to end public education, she has boldly ignored the Separation of Church and State. The ACLU notes:
The First Amendment contains two explicit provisions concerning religion. The CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos and the Separation of Church and State During Covid-19