Dear Commons Community,

Dear Commons Community,

Betsy DeVos fled a small group of protesters outside a middle school in Washington D.C. yesterday at one point hiding in her sport utility vehicle as a man wielded a cardboard sign before she finally entered.

Video (see above) of the episode at Jefferson Middle School Academy from a local television station showed a handful of people heckling and following Ms. DeVos as she tried to enter the school. She turned away with a man escorting her as one demonstrator shouted, “Go back! Shame, shame.”   As reported by the New York Times:

The exchange could be the first of many such encounters as protesters and opponents of Ms. DeVos say they plan to remind her of the fierce opposition she faced throughout her nomination process and continues to face as she weighs sweeping policies, such as encouraging private school vouchers. Activists have said they would protest her at every opportunity, including during school visits.

“We will unleash our activists in a way that I don’t think any secretary of education has ever experienced,” said Heidi Hess, a campaign manager for Credo, a mobile phone company with a liberal activist arm. “If she holds field hearings, we will make sure we pack them with activists. If she travels for meetings or if she visits schools, we will confront her with protesters and have people lined up to ask her questions.”

..Ms. DeVos eventually made it into the school and later told reporters the school was “awesome.”

“It was really wonderful to visit this school, and I look forward to many visits of many great public schools, both in D.C. and around the country,” Ms. DeVos said. “Thanks very much.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. also said that the city wants Ms. DeVos to visit its schools.”

I agree with Mayor Bowser!

Tony