DeVos won’t say whether she’d withhold federal funds from private schools that discriminate
By Emma Brown May 24 at 1:57 PM
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos refused to say Wednesday whether she would block private schools that discriminate against LGBT students from receiving federal dollars, explaining that she believes states should have the flexibility to design voucher programs and that parents should be able to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs.
DeVos returned frequently to the theme of what she called a need for more local control in her first appearance before Congress since her rocky confirmation hearing in January.
Fielding questions from members of a House Appropriations subcommittee, she said that states should decide how to address chronic absenteeism, mental health issues and suicide risks among students and that states should also decide whether children taking vouchers are protected by federal special-education law.
Researchers have found that many states allow religious schools that receive taxpayer-funded vouchers to deny admission to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students or children with LGBT parents.
Asked by Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) whether she could think of any circumstance in which the federal government should step in to stop federal dollars from going to private schools that discriminate against certain groups of students, DeVos did not directly answer.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/devos-to-testify-on-trumps-budget-her-first-time-before-congress-since-rocky-confirmation-hearing/2017/05/23/db2934e8-3fe2-11e7-adba-394ee67a7582_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_devos-1240pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.d9815355aebe
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