When I was a senior in college, my American Studies major required me to write a thesis, orally defend it, and then complete an oral examination of my four years of study. I prepared for hours and was so relieved when, mere minutes later, my professors told me congratulations, I passed. I had exhibited a wide range of understanding for competency in my major.
It is hard to understand, then, how one shows up to a Department of Education cabinet-candidate confirmation underprepared to discuss the basics of different school systems. I listened to Betsy DeVos’s confirmation this week hearings in shock; I saw her poise, but I heard that she’s unfamiliar with many of the questions posed to her, including IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), a federal mandate that protects students with disabilities.
Because she is a champion of educational choice and a chair of American Federation for Children, I expected more substance out of her testimonies. I was appalled to find ignorance. If we expect college and graduate students to adequately prepare for their specialty, it isn’t outrageous to expect the same from DeVos.
I am a conservative, and I’m an online teacher for a school that also has brick-and-mortar classrooms. This informs my opinion of education and the government’s role in it; I support school-choice initiatives. I am also a mother of a child with cerebral palsy. Grace is three years old; she had a stroke in-utero, which we discovered via MRI when she was eight months old. She is cognitively typical. Her stroke was in her language center, and we want her to have opportunities to communicate with children her own age and other adults.
She is enrolled in a local preschool, where she see three or four different therapists per week in addition to learning songs, completing art projects and playing. Thanks to her IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan—developed using the recommendations of her current therapists as well as third-party professionals), Grace attends school with other children, is invited to birthday parties, and gets to “see my friends!” as she exclaims to me every day I drop her off.
Betsy DeVos says she supports accountability in response to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) asking about equal accountability for all schools that receive federal funding, and then did not elaborate. When Sen. Kaine asked her if all schools that take taxpayer funding should be required to meet the IDEA, DeVos said it should be left to the states.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates that children and youth ages 3–21 with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public school education.” We have moved from Louisiana to Pennsylvania and are moving to Indiana at the end of the school year. IDEA means that, wherever we live, we can rest assured that our daughter will receive an accommodating education because we are taxpaying citizens.
At a time when Medicaid cuts have led to discontinued services for children with special needs, we should understand that this is a civil-rights issue. We should demand accountability to not deny education to a very vulnerable minority in our country. Early intervention is crucial for long-term success. Education is vital for a healthy citizenship and innovative, continual civilization. I want my daughter to have a chance too, even though she’ll need more help.
It is already stressful ensuring that my daughter gets the services she needs. We live the reality of caring for a child whose future is very dependent on the kind of care and education we can provide. If states can deny proper education to those who need it just as much as their abled classmates, what is true choice without opportunity?
We conservatives can lambast big government while still finding our niche within it to work with and help our fellow citizens. We need accountability. We don’t need Betsy DeVos acting as a school choice sheep bleating “states’s rights!” and providing no substance during her confirmation hearing; we conservatives should demand an acceptable alternative—someone who can, and will, advocate for all children.
