March 7, 2018

Betsy DeVos’ Brief, Confusing Visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Her press conference lasted a grand total of eight minutes.

Amy Beth Bennett/TNS via ZUMA Wire

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On Wednesday, education secretary Betsy DeVos toured Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and met with students and faculty weeks after they survived a mass shooting that left 17 dead at their school. She said she saw therapy dogs, talked to “a small group of students that are having a particularly tough time,” and let students who worked with the school newspaper trail her. 

After the visit, she held an eight-minute press conference. When asked about her support for the idea of letting teachers carry firearms in schools, DeVos said that interpretation was an “oversimplification” and that schools should consider marshal programs like the one in Texas as a model, noting that it may not be for everybody. 

DeVos answered a few more questions, including one about her plans to improve school safety. “It’s appropriate to take a robust inventory of what states are doing and what local communities are doing and elevate those things that are working well,” she said. She didn’t elaborate on specific proposals. 

After the press conference, journalists and students took to Twitter to express their confusion and frustration:

 An editor at the student newspaper denied that DeVos let students follow her:

Meanwhile, Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade showed up at Stoneman Douglas after DeVos made her appearance, much to the surprise of students.

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