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 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.
Students said she barely spoke to anyone and didn't answer questions, and accused her of using the visit for publicity.
Betsy Devos came to my school, talked to three people, and pet a dog. This is incase the press tries to say something else later
Do something unexpected: answer our questions. You came to our school just for publicity and avoided our questions for the 90 minutes you were actually here. How about you actually do your job? #neveragain #DoYourJob https://t.co/4Ts0INq0gR
Lol
Prior to DeVos’s visit, some students considered organizing a walkout in protest, with one student saying he was glad to miss the visit entirely.
Can we like have a walkout on @BetsyDeVosED ?
Thank God I’ll still be in New York. I don’t wanna see her face on my campus https://t.co/GhI566jk1t
Others said they were looking forward to speaking with her.
I've decided that I don't think we should walk out, ignore her, or block her from entering. I want to talk to her. I want her to understand what we're feeling. However, I doubt we'll be able to discuss anything with her. She'll probably give us her sympathies and leave
Following her remarks, some of the student activists said they were left disappointed that she didn't spend more time with the students.
I thought she would at least give us her "thoughts and prayers," but she refused to even meet/speak with students. I don't understand the point of her being here
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.
A reporter asks @BetsyDeVos if she made any promises to the Parkland students this morning. This was her response.
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.”
"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.
.@BetsyDeVos leaves a press conference when pushed for specifics on what gun legislation she'd support. A reporter is overheard saying, "5 questions? That's it? Are you kidding me?" https://t.co/xgiZaYrE4p
As to the reason for her visit, DeVos said, "I was just there to be there — to be with them."