Arizona Education Leaders Blast Trump Administration Ahead Of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's Event

By Rocio Hernandez
Published: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - 5:47pm
Updated: Thursday, July 16, 2020 - 9:14am
US Department of Education
Betsy DeVos

Kareem Neal, a Phoenix special education teacher, said he didn't personally know Kimberly Chavez Lopez Byrd, the eastern Arizona teacher who died of COVID-19 in late June, but he felt like she was part of his community. So he was disappointed to hear U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in an interview brush off the teacher's death and stick to the Trump administration's school reopening talking points. 

"I felt like our leadership at the top was willing to sacrifice us (teachers) for whatever their agenda is," the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year said at a Wednesday press conference by Arizona Democrats. 

The press conference came ahead of DeVos' Thursday virtual event with the Phoenix Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society. The fact that DeVos is meeting with this local conservative group, instead of teachers, is like a slap to the face to Neal.

"I find it amazing that she's not saying I would like to meet with the Arizona Education Association, I'd like to meet with some of the great educators of Arizona and hear the concerns and make more informed decisions," he said. 

Neal and the other speakers — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, AEA President Joe Thomas and State Sen. Martín Quezada — also blasted the Trump administration's response to the national COVID-19 crisis and its heavy push to fully reopen schools while it's still ongoing. 

“Right now, we need the support, guidance and resources from the federal government and not these reckless threats to cut off funding or insisting that our schools reopen their facilities before it’s safe to do so," Hoffman said. 

"No one wants to be at school more than educators," Thomas said. "But we have no plan and no leadership at either the federal level from President Trump or the state level from Gov. (Doug) Ducey and this has led to significant anxiety among educators." 

Thomas said the significant community spread of COVID-19 that the state is currently seeing makes it unsafe to reopen schools at this time. Instead, he would Ducey to support schools starting their academic years in a distance learning format. 

Hoffman said she and Ducey are currently reviewing their Aug. 17 school reopening "aspirational" target date, but no final decision has been made as of yet. 

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