Stoneman Douglas High School Students Had Strong Words For Betsy DeVos When She Came To Visit

Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who have been organizing for gun control since the deadly massacre at their school on Valentine's Day, were frustrated that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos didn't engage more with the them or address any of their concerns during a visit to the school Wednesday.

In tweets and texts, the Parkland, Florida students spoke out about DeVos's visit.

Taking just five questions in a brief press conference following the visit, DeVos did not share specifics of what she discussed with students or which gun control policies she supports as Secretary of Education.

"I told the student newspaper reporters that I would love to come back in an appropriate amount of time and just sit down and talk with them," she said.

She added that she believes "arming teachers" is not a program that "needs to be required or mandated for every community."

Some students at Stoneman Douglas, under the banner of a group called "Never Again," have been specifically advocating for a ban on assault rifles, among other gun reform policies. Asked whether she supports any of the measures the students have proposed, such as a ban on assault rifles, DeVos said, "The president has advanced a number of issues that Congress will have to consider.”

US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos calls for a moment of silence in name of the Parkland school shooting during the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference.

Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images

"There is an opportunity to take practical steps that many people agree on that have support at the federal level,” she said. "I think it's important to take a robust inventory of what states and communities are doing" and to encourage others to adopt those that have been successful.

Reporters asked if she had any specific examples in mind.

"We'll have more on that in the future,” she said.

As to the reason for her visit, DeVos said, "I was just there to be there - to be with them."

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/2oX2Gkj