As the Department of Education yanks $175 million of federal funding from the University of Pennsylvania for violating Title IX by allowing males into women’s sports, Secretary Linda McMahon should also consider cracking down on other, more common procedural violations of Title IX that have been routinely committed by colleges for over a decade: that is, violations against due process for students and faculty accused of sexual misconduct.
This status quo was created by the Obama Department of Education’s 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, which gutted protections for the accused in the name of “victims’ rights,” under penalty of losing federal funding. The letter mandated that colleges use the “preponderance of evidence” standard — which only demands that the guilty be deemed over 50% likely to have committed misconduct — as opposed to the stronger “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” standard employed in criminal trials in actual courts. It also allowed alleged victims to appeal the result of a disciplinary hearing — a form of double jeopardy otherwise barred by the legal system. Moreover, it discouraged cross-examination of victims, claiming this would “retraumatize” them, and enabled a single-investigator model, in which the person investigating the sexual misconduct claim would also adjudicate the sexual misconduct claim and decide as to whether or not the accused was guilty — giving the investigator the near absolute power to be “prosecutor, judge, and jury” at once, as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education <a href="https://www.thefire.org/news/breaking-new-title-ix-regulations-undermine-campus-free-speech-and-due-process-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> it.
Having received Obama’s memo, colleges went above and beyond — the Constitution, that is: even after President Trump took office for the first time and then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos rescinded the Obama-era “Dear Colleague” letter in 2017, colleges kept their kangaroo courts — and began to be taken to court themselves. In two notable cases, federal courts determined that accused students at the <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/26/us-appeals-court-finds-student-accused-sexual-assault-was-denied-due-process" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Cincinnati</a> and the <a href="https://www.thefire.org/news/court-holds-university-michigan-administrators-personally-liable-violating-students-due" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Michigan</a> had their constitutional rights to due process violated. Per a 2019 <a href="https://nyujlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Harris-Johnson-Campus-Courts-in-Court-22-nyujlpp-49.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> by Samantha Harris and K.C. Johnson, over 500 lawsuits were filed by accused students in the post-2011 period; 340 lawsuits went to federal court; colleges lost over 90 federal decisions; and colleges chose to settle over 70 lawsuits out of court before a decision could be made. This was around the peak of #MeToo and #BelieveAllWomen: in that cultural moment, anyone accused of sexual misconduct was essentially presumed guilty until proven innocent, a horrible inversion of the American rule of law.
Eventually, in 2020, DeVos established a rule ensuring Title IX proceedings would respect due process and treat both accuser and accused fairly. Because DeVos used the rulemaking process, rather than ruling by “Dear Colleague” fiat as her predecessor did, her decision was harder to reverse by the Biden administration. As a result, the Biden rule came toward the end of his administration in 2024, and, thanks to the administration’s overreaching attempt to rewrite Title IX to include “gender identity,” was immediately caught up in federal injunctions and barely implemented by the time Trump took office a second time and officially brought back the DeVos rule. That means that despite the change in administrations and attempted changes to Title IX by Biden, most colleges have been subject to the DeVos rule for most of the past five years.
Nevertheless, <a href="https://x.com/kcjohnson9/status/1893051067799060764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuits</a> over the past several years have continued to be filed by accused students and faculty alleging that their colleges treated them unfairly in Title IX proceedings. Just this month, the Fourth Circuit <a href="https://www.carolinajournal.com/expelled-unc-student-can-pursue-reinstatement-not-money-in-federal-suit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> in favor of an accused student at the University of North Carolina, noting that due process, live hearings, and cross-examination are crucial in Title IX proceedings. The persistence of lawsuits from the accused suggests that colleges are still not treating the accused fairly, and, as a result, are not only potentially disciplining, expelling, and firing perfectly innocent people — mostly men — they are also undermining the validity of all allegations, which makes it more difficult for real victims — mostly women — to be taken seriously.
College bureaucrats act this way in part because they are concerned with their own interests first: the #MeToo zeitgeist of yesterday still has them convinced that the fallout from blatantly unconstitutional proceedings will be less damaging to them than the possibility of activists calling them “rape apologists” for treating accused students and faculty with fairness. The Department of Education can change this calculus by stripping federal funds from every institution violating the rights of the accused. Only harsh federal action and the potential for penalties where it hurts will show colleges that they will suffer more for presuming guilt and holding unfair proceedings than they will for presuming innocence and treating both parties fairly, as the American rule of law demands.
On a more human note, colleges are often the places where young men and young women form their opinions of the world and of each other. Especially at a time when relations between the sexes are <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2024/03/13/why-the-growing-gulf-between-young-men-and-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">souring</a>, it is crucial that colleges be expected to follow the law if they are to continue to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.
* * *
Neeraja Deshpande is a policy analyst and engagement coordinator at Independent Women.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Views Of Yale University As Ivy League Pay Soars

‘Prosecutor, Judge, And Jury’: Why Campus Kangaroo Courts Should Lose Federal Funding

'Prosecutor, Judge, And Jury': Why Campus Kangaroo Courts Should Lose Federal Funding

American Universities

Betsy DeVos

College

Department of Education

Due Process

Education

Obama Administration

Opinion

Title IX

University of Michigan

University of Pennsylvania

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/betsy-devos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Betsy DeVos</a>, who served as Secretary of Education during President Donald Trump&#8217;s first term, is calling for her former workplace to be shuttered.
Trump is reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-department-of-education-may-be-on-the-chopping-block-what-could-that-look-like" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-department-of-education-may-be-on-the-chopping-block-what-could-that-look-like&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1738962061046000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0A8kFzr-XoNWJWnG4Hl7Js">preparing</a> to sign an executive order that would gut the Education Department’s core functions, as well as call on Congress to work on eliminating it altogether. The department has already placed dozens of staffers on leave.
In an <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/betsy-devos-shut-down-the-department-of-education-trump-elon" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thefp.com/p/betsy-devos-shut-down-the-department-of-education-trump-elon&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1738962061046000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3S4IZH_sGXEHWS9nPKJzch">op-ed</a> published Thursday by The Free Press, DeVos acknowledged that the idea may sound &#8220;a bit radical.&#8221;
&#8220;But having spent four years on the inside as secretary of education, struggling to get the department’s bureaucracy to make even the smallest changes to put the needs of students first, I can say conclusively that American students will be better off without,&#8221; she wrote.
She noted that the latest Nation’s Report Card, which came out last week, shows students even further behind in reading and math than they were in 2019.
About seven in 10 fourth-graders <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/?grade=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/?grade%3D4&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1738962061046000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2LOZTKhvYO3vKP3mSTc7kY">do not</a> read at grade level, and six in 10 fourth-graders are <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/g4_8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/g4_8/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1738962061046000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2eQpPHNYbQUoME8mMXhIp5">behind</a> in math, the data show.
Also, the gaps between the highest and lowest performing students are &#8220;as wide as they have ever been, and by many measures, even wider,&#8221; DeVos said. The lowest performing fourth- and eighth-graders&#8217; scores sank in 2022 and even further last year.
DeVos also pointed out that the Education Department does not actually do much educating.
&#8220;Nothing could be more important to our success as a nation than having well-educated citizens,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But don’t be fooled by the name: the Department of Education has almost nothing to do with actually educating anyone.&#8221;
The department does not run any schools or set curricula, and in most states, it makes up a small percentage of K-12 public school funding.
&#8220;So what does it do? It shuffles money around; adds unnecessary requirements and political agendas via its grants; and then passes the buck when it comes time to assess if any of that adds value,&#8221; DeVos said.
&#8220;The only certain benefactor of the DOE’s existence is its patron saint: the teachers unions,&#8221; she added.
During the Biden administration, the department focused on canceling student loans, reinterpreted Title IX to favor trans-identifying males, and caused delays in aid for families when it tried to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, DeVos said.
She recommended the department send education funding straight to states and schools as a block grant, let the Justice Department enforce civil rights law, and give the student loan program to financial institutions rather than education bureaucrats.
&#8220;While it is true that no federal agency has ever seen its doors closed, there must be a first for everything. On the merits, the Department of Education has earned such a historic distinction,&#8221; she said.

Senate HELP Committee Considers Betsy DeVos To Be Education Secretary

Betsy DeVos Calls For Education Department To Be Shut Down

Public Schools

School Choice

U.S.

Former Education Secretary <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/betsy-devos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Betsy DeVos</a> tangled with the National Education Association on Twitter, arguing that parents were better equipped than anyone else to say what was best for their children.
The exchange began with the NEA — the largest labor union in the United States — claiming in a Saturday tweet that professional educators knew &#8220;better than anyone&#8221; what children needed in order to grow and learn.
&#8220;Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and thrive,&#8221; the tweet claimed.
DeVos responded, &#8220;You misspelled parents.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
You misspelled parents. <a href="https://t.co/uMc9ozCUS7">https://t.co/uMc9ozCUS7</a>
&mdash; Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetsyDeVos/status/1592169087794290694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The union pushed back, claiming that their goal was for educators to work alongside parents in an effort to ensure that all students had the necessary &#8220;resources and opportunities&#8221; that would provide the best learning environment possible.
&#8220;Together, families and educators are an essential team for advocating for the resources and opportunities all students need,&#8221; they said before taking a direct swipe at DeVos. &#8220;Out-of-touch billionaires, however, are not.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Together, families and educators are an essential team for advocating for the resources and opportunities all students need. Out-of-touch billionaires, however, are not. <a href="https://t.co/I6gYIwZA0g">https://t.co/I6gYIwZA0g</a>
&mdash; NEA (@NEAToday) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEAToday/status/1592207540049571841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DeVos&#8217; comment appeared to strike the tone that has been echoed by the American people in recent elections, however, as a number of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/conservatives-flip-school-boards-in-wave-of-education-wins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school boards</a> were flipped to Republican control in Tuesday&#8217;s midterm election.
Parents became increasingly involved in school board meetings during and after the COVID pandemic, fighting back against COVID-related masking and lockdown policies as well as sounding the alarm about curriculum concerns after virtual learning brought some of the issues children were studying — quite literally — to the kitchen table.
Parents pushed back after the teachers unions fought to keep virtual learning in place long after it became apparent that it was doing more harm than good — particularly with regard to mental health — and in an effort to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/national-school-board-association-at-risk-of-total-collapse-following-letter-comparing-parents-to-domestic-terrorists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut down parental protests</a>, the National School Board Association called on the United States Justice Department to treat parents who attended meetings as thought they were &#8220;domestic terrorists.&#8221;
Reclaiming parental voices in education was not just a winning issue for school board candidates, either — Republican Virginia Governor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/glenn-youngkin-outlines-his-plan-to-make-virginias-education-system-number-one-in-nation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenn Youngkin</a> rode to victory, in part, on the wave of anger inspired by Democrat <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/democrat-terry-mcauliffe-i-dont-think-parents-should-be-telling-schools-what-they-should-teach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Terry McAuliffe&#8217;s</a> claim that parents had no right to weigh in on the curriculum being taught in their children&#8217;s schools. Similarly, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/does-it-say-that-in-the-bill-ron-desantis-rebukes-reporter-for-pushing-dont-say-gay-narrative/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parental Rights in Education law</a> gave him a boost ahead of his reelection.

President Trump Participates In National Dialogue On Safely Reopening Nation’s Schools

‘You Misspelled Parents’: Betsy DeVos Throws Down With Teachers Union Over Who Knows What’s Best For Kids

Betsy DeVos Throws Down With Teachers Union Over Who Knows What's Best For Kids

National Education Association

Parenting

Teachers Unions

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former Trump Secretary of Education Betsy Devos no longer seem to agree on the topic of student loan cancellation, now that President Joe Biden has come out with a plan to cancel up to $20k in debt per borrower.
Previously, Pelosi had clearly stated, “People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone, he can delay, but he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.”
“The president can’t do it,” she added. “So that’s not even a discussion. Not everybody realizes that, but the president can only postpone, delay, but not forgive.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
REMINDER: Biden doesn&#39;t have the authority to forgive student loan debt. Even Speaker Pelosi agrees.
PELOSI: &quot;People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not&#8230; The President can’t do it. So that’s not even a discussion.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/E1AH0YxTFZ">pic.twitter.com/E1AH0YxTFZ</a>
&mdash; Senate Republican Communications Center (@SRCC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SRCC/status/1562432792381689856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In mid-June, DeVos also asserted that Biden does not have the power to unilaterally “forgive” student loans. She told <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/06/14/student-debt-cancellation-not-fair-to-taxpayers-those-who-repaid-loans-betsy-devos-says/">The Daily Signal</a>, “I’m hopeful they follow the law, and they don’t do it. We have demonstrated; we left a very detailed memo talking about how the president does not have unilateral power to forgive student loan debt.”
DeVos noted that the Obama administration “also took this position as well.”
“When we talk about this notion of forgiving student loans, what we’re really talking about is benefiting those who don’t necessarily need it,” she commented. “And the ones who are going to be ultimately paying for it are those who’ve never attended college, who didn’t take out student loans, taxpayers who chose not to go to higher education and take out student loans, or frankly, many taxpayers who have gone, who have faithfully paid off their student loans. And then think about also veterans earn their benefits for education by serving our country.”
But on Wednesday, as Biden indicated he would proceed with his plan to &#8220;forgive&#8221; student loans, Pelosi seemingly reversed herself, tweeting Biden’s “bold action is a strong step in Democrats’ fight to expand access to higher education. By delivering historic targeted student debt relief to millions of borrowers, more working families will be able to meet their kitchen table needs as they recover from the pandemic.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>’ bold action is a strong step in Democrats’ fight to expand access to higher education.
By delivering historic targeted student debt relief to millions of borrowers, more working families will be able to meet their kitchen table needs as they recover from the pandemic. <a href="https://t.co/nHkBLNvqeG">https://t.co/nHkBLNvqeG</a>
&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1562470835641692164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In January 2021, the principal deputy general counsel for the Department of Education, Reed Rubenstein, <a href="https://static.politico.com/d6/ce/3edf6a3946afa98eb13c210afd7d/ogcmemohealoans.pdf">clearly stated</a> the president has no power to unilaterally “forgive” student loans, noting, “Given the HEA’s many specific provisions for cancellation, compromise, discharge, or forgiveness of student loan principal balances and/or material modifications to the repayment amounts or terms thereof, we believe any Executive Branch action on a blanket or mass basis, whether under 20 U.S.C. § 1082(a)(6), the HEROES Act, or otherwise, wrongfully transforms carefully cabined HEA settlement authority into a general administrative dispensing power.”
As Charles C. W. Cooke noted in <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/joe-biden-illegally-canceling-student-loans-would-be-a-middle-finger-to-america/">National Review</a>, “At the level of the electorate, it would represent a middle finger to voters without college degrees, who have much higher unemployment rates than voters with college educations, and who will now be on the hook for loans they didn’t take out and didn’t benefit from. It would represent a middle finger to voters who chose not to go college — voters who will, as Nancy Pelosi <a style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/29/pelosi-schume-student-debt-501521" data-testid="standard-link">has put it</a>, be ‘paying taxes to forgive somebody else’s obligations.’”
“Because of the enormous backlash it will cause, it would represent a middle finger to the people at the bottom of our society, who genuinely need help with their education, and who will now be lumped in with the cadre of affluent, self-serving deadbeats who have apparently convinced the President of the United States to violate his oath of office in order to funnel them a bunch of cash,” he concluded.

House Speaker Pelosi Holds Weekly News Conference

Pelosi Agreed With DeVos: Biden Can’t Forgive Student Loans. She Just Caved.

Joe Biden

Nancy Pelosi

Student Loans

Former U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos shut down claims made by CNN that she&#8217;s &#8220;been in talks&#8221; with the House select committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
During DeVos&#8217; appearance on the SiriusXM &#8220;The Megyn Kelly Show&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap3x340nZkE">podcast</a> Wednesday, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/megyn-kelly">host</a> asked the former secretary about her decision to leave former President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration after the attack at the U.S. Capitol and reports that she&#8217;s &#8220;cooperating with the committee and may testify.&#8221; It starts at the 13:30 minute mark <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap3x340nZkE">here</a>.
&#8220;Well I&#8217;ve not had any contact with the committee and really what I have to say about it is recorded in my book,&#8221; the former Secretary of Education shared. &#8220;The day of January 6 was an awful day on many accounts for many different reasons.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Biden&#039;s Title IX Sham, Abolishing the Department of Education, and Hard Work, with Betsy DeVos" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ap3x340nZkE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;And I ultimately felt the need to step away from my position as a result of a lack of action taken on the part of the President to put an end to it or to call for an end to it,&#8221; she added.
DeVos also referenced what she said in her book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostages-No-More-Education-American/dp/1546002014/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3R2QRKPGNGIM5&amp;keywords=Betsy+DeVos&amp;qid=1660839436&amp;sprefix=betsy+devos%2Caps%2C178&amp;sr=8-1">Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child</a>,&#8221; calling the day of January 6 a &#8220;difficult day for all of us.&#8221;
The former NBC News host pressed her guest further asking her about the CNN report that can be seen <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/politics/elaine-chao-trump-cabinet-january-6-25th-amendment/index.html">here</a>. The report also claimed that former National Security Adviser Robert O&#8217;Brien and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao were cooperating with the committee as well.
&#8220;So, just to be clear, CNN is reporting that you have been in talks with the House select committee investigating January 6th,&#8221; Kelly stated.  &#8220;Are you denying that?&#8221;
&#8220;I have not been in contact,&#8221; the former secretary reiterated. &#8220;And nor has anyone of my team been in contact with CNN or anyone …&#8221;
Kelly corrected her and said that she didn&#8217;t mean &#8220;not with CNN.&#8221; Betsy said once again the news outlet&#8217;s report, &#8220;was inaccurate. That is inaccurate.&#8221;
The podcast host closed out the segment and asked &#8220;oh you&#8217;re telling me CNN got the facts wrong about a member of the Trump Administration?&#8221; DeVos replied, &#8220;Surprise.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-about-january-6-megyn-kelly-calls-bulls-on-trump-raid">&#8216;This Is About January 6&#8217;: Megyn Kelly Calls &#8216;Bulls***&#8217; On Trump Raid</a>

Besty DeVos-2

Betsy DeVos Shuts Down CNN Claim That She’s Speaking To 1/6 Committee

Donald Trump

Entertainment

January 6 Committee

Megyn Kelly

Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos says President Joe Biden&#8217;s uncomfortable physical treatment of her several years ago when she was in a wheelchair amounted to the proposed legal definition of sexual harassment.
DeVos discussed Biden&#8217;s new Title IX changes during an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show,&#8221; sharing the &#8220;one encounter&#8221; she allegedly had with Biden that took place before he decided to run for president.
&#8220;I was in a wheelchair,&#8221; she told Megyn Kelly. &#8220;I was back stage after speaking, he came up to me, I had never met him before in my life, he came up to me, put his hands on my shoulders, and his forehead on my forehead for several seconds, and had conversation with me.&#8221;
The former secretary of education said that if Biden had behaved in that manner as a student on a college campus, &#8220;under his proposed rule, I would have a Title IX sexual harassment allegation to levy against him because of his conduct.&#8221;
&#8220;I heard from many students who had lesser encounters or lesser situations than what I had to encounter with him, and yet he wants this for college students, but will not acknowledge and agree to probes into allegations of much more egregious conduct on his part against other women,&#8221; she added.
Her remark appears to refer to Biden accuser Tara Reade, who said that Biden kissed her, touched her, and penetrated her with his fingers without her consent when she worked for him as a senate staffer in the 1990s. Biden has repeatedly denied Reade&#8217;s allegations.
&#8220;I&#8217;m just using it as an example to say, this administration is so bent on trying to politicize and weaponize a law that was meant to protect women and to give them access to education, not to weaponize it to harm others,&#8221; continued DeVos. &#8220;This is a really really bad direction that they are taking with their proposed Title IX rule and I hope people will speak up about it.&#8221;
Kelly called Biden&#8217;s alleged behavior &#8220;disgusting&#8221; and joked, &#8220;I don&#8217;t even touch foreheads with my husband,&#8221; calling the incident an example of &#8220;inappropriate boundary crossing.&#8221;
&#8220;He asked if I had any hardware as a result of my injury and I had broken my pelvis,&#8221; DeVos further explained. &#8220;Then he told me that he had 9 screws in his shoulder but everybody thought they were in his head.&#8221;
DeVos added that Biden was &#8220;doing this&#8221; while allegedly holding her shoulders with his forehead allegedly pressed to her own, adding that she had &#8220;nowhere to go to or escape.&#8221;
&#8220;So you were basically harassed, the legal definition of sexual harassment, by Joe Biden while in a wheelchair,&#8221; Kelly said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
WATCH: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="How Biden &quot;Sexually Harassed&quot; Betsy DeVos Based on His Own Administration&#039;s Title IX Policies" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_xSE_cYMAR8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Members Of White House Coronavirus Task Force Hold Briefing

Betsy DeVos Says Under Proposed Legal Definitions, Biden Allegedly Sexually Harassed Her In A Wheelchair

Betsy DeVos Describes Biden Inappropriately Touching Her In A Wheelchair 

MeToo

Former U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke during the Moms For Liberty National Summit in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday and called on abolishing the federal agency she once served.
&#8220;I personally think the Department of Education should not exist,&#8221; DeVos said during the summit, according to the <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/blog/betsy-devos-calls-for-abolition-of-federal-education-department-she-once-led/">Florida Phoenix</a>.
DeVos, who ran the education department during the Trump Administration, has continued advocating for school choice for American children.
In an exclusive interview with the <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/17/devos-reveals-important-things-republicans-reform-education/">Daily Caller News Foundation</a>, DeVos said Republicans have talked about shrinking or eliminating the department for &#8220;many, many years.&#8221; However, she said taking practical steps like block grants to the states — a proposal recently introduced to Congress — could turn the tides and create a feasible option to make the idea a reality.
&#8220;Just watching how the system has performed or not performed the last two years, I think makes this argument of shrinking the department to be much more potent,&#8221; DeVos told the Daily Caller.
Over the last two years, the education system had kept children hostage — many of whom could not escape.
She laid out a five-point plan to reform education for Republicans to implement if the party can dominate Congress after the 2022 Midterm Elections come this November.
In addition to eliminating the department, the Daily Caller reports that her plan also includes supporting multiple pathways to post-K-12 education, federal student aid reform, and restoring Title IX. However, educational freedom, which would give parents a choice to send their children to various schools, marks the former department head&#8217;s most important reform.
&#8220;The solution to that is to have policies that will actually allow the resources to follow the family, to follow the child, to wherever their family decides they&#8217;re going to learn best,&#8221; DeVos said.
The Department of Education recently announced a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/family-and-community-engagement/council#:~:text=Launched%20in%20June%202022%2C%20the,are%20recovering%20from%20the%20pandemic.">National Parents and Families Engagement Council</a> that claims to find &#8220;constructive ways to help families engage at the local level&#8221; with &#8220;listening sessions&#8221; to help students recover from the pandemic.
DeVos called the council &#8220;laughable&#8221; to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-education-sec-betsy-devos-biden-admins-parents-council-laughable.amp">Fox News</a>, adding that parents across the country remain upset about how the system handled their children and how out of touch with reality the &#8220;folks in Washington&#8221; have become for protecting the system by sending the FBI to investigate parents as domestic terrorists.
The former education department head joined more than 20 speakers during the summit, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Dr. Ben Carson, and Dr. James Lindsay.
Tiffany Justice, a co-founder of the Moms For Liberty, said according to the Florida Phoenix, the organization &#8220;loves teachers&#8221; but called the teacher unions a &#8220;K-12 cartel&#8221; while advocating for the two groups to separate.
Tina Descovich, a co-founder of Moms For Liberty, called parental rights a nonpartisan issue.
&#8220;Everyone has the right to raise their child,&#8221; Descovich told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDBx8MSzgt8">ABC Action News</a>. &#8220;To direct the upbringing of their medical care, their education, their moral and religious upbringing — it&#8217;s important to us, and it should be important to all.&#8221;

Members Of The Coronavirus Task Force Hold Press Briefing

‘The Department Of Education Should Not Exist:’ Former DOE Secretary Betsy DeVos Slams Federal Agency

Florida

The Daily Wire recently sat down with former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss her new book &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostages-No-More-Education-American/dp/1546002014">Hostages No More</a>: The Fight For Education Freedom And The Future Of The American Child.&#8221;
DW: Secretary DeVos, thank you for joining The Daily Wire. Your new book opens by reflecting on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/glenn-youngkin-outlines-his-plan-to-make-virginias-education-system-number-one-in-nation">Glenn Youngkin’s</a> surprise win in the race for Governor of Virginia. Why was that an important race?
DeVos: Well, I think what happened in that Virginia race really brought into focus for many people what they were sort of feeling and noticing, and when Terry McAuliffe doubled down on his statement that no parents really should be involved in their kids’ education, many people thought he would roll it back. No. Instead, he doubled down by having Randi Weingarten as his capper to the last night of his campaign. It really set up a clear delineation for folks. He really personified the Democrats’ position — that they really do fall in lockstep with the teachers union. Many parents realized the last two years they’re really not in charge, and so that race kind of helped bring all that into focus in a major way.
DW: What’s taking place today in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dems-say-holding-an-election-for-loudoun-school-board-this-year-would-subvert-democracy">Loudoun County, Virginia</a>, is reminiscent of the battles Former Governor Scott Walker faced in Wisconsin with the teachers unions. Do you think we will see more of these battles?
DeVos: I do. We’ve seen a lot of the head-to-head in a number of states over the years, and I think that’s going to continue to accelerate. The status quo — teachers and school unions and all of their allies — they’ve continued to double down on their position, which is: do not allow any kind of competition to what we’ve got going here. In fact, their attacks on charter schools — which are, as we know, a form of choice — have continued to look at charters as something to be rolled back and defeated, if possible, and they have a complicit administration in Washington, D.C. right now. The First Lady is a member of the NEA, and my successor put into the office of the Secretary of Education — the secretary’s personal office — a <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/early-education-department-appointees-have-links-to-jill-biden-teachers-unions/2021/01">teachers union liaison</a> as a staff position. So, it shows where the priorities are.
DW: We’ve all heard about ‘The Swamp’ in Washington, D.C. over the years. What was your experience with ‘The Swamp’?
DeVos: Well, I knew that a federal agency would be a large bureaucracy. I did not fully appreciate, until I started working there, how formidable the bureaucracy is and how they really can thwart you accomplishing a lot of things. I cite several examples, in the book, of mind-boggling ways in which the simplest of tasks and simplest of things were thwarted. It was really revealing in that way, but also convicting to me about how out-of-touch and how overgrown the federal workforce has become. There were good people who were career staffers in the department, and we found a number who worked well together, but the vast majority you could almost feel the animosity that radiated from them.
DW: You recently recorded the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostages-No-More-Education-American/dp/B09S84D3D7/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1656621658&amp;sr=1-1">audiobook</a> version of “Hostages No More.” How long did it take to record the book?
DeVos: It took six days, four to seven hours a day, depending on what segments we were doing. Never having done it before, I didn’t really know what to expect. It was part of my lifelong learning experience! It really was fun, but it was also very fatiguing. I would say I probably like doing it, but I don’t love public speaking. I did stand the entire time because I knew that would be better for energy and breath.
DW: What is your message to young conservatives today?
DeVos: I actually articulated a number of those things in my book, specifically with regard to education. Let me echo a couple of them here. First of all, if they are young parents and are frustrated with what their options are, they should, number one, make sure that they’re supporting candidates for office that actually support education freedom policy — and then hold them to that. 
Number two, they can start a school. They can start with themselves, and they can do that best if they are empowered with the resources that are going to be spent on their child anyway — if they have the ability to control those resources.
We’ve seen a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeschooling-rates-doubled-during-2020">dramatic increase</a> in homeschoolers in the last year-and-a-half. I actually think that’s a very positive thing, because I think we’re going to see a lot more creativity and a lot higher quality experience for the families that have chosen that direction. We need to just make sure that policy is going to support and encourage those who want to pursue that direction.
DW: You use the term ‘freedom’ throughout the book. Why? 
DeVos: I talk about it as ‘education freedom,’ as opposed to ‘school choice,’ because I think education freedom is a much more expansive term that can encompass a whole lot more than what you immediately think of when you talk about school choice. Because school choice, in most people’s minds, designates another building. It doesn’t mean building a whole bunch of other buildings; it means really getting creative about how education is delivered to kids in their K-12 years.
It really opens the door to customization of a child’s education. Some of the education reformers will refer to as ‘unbundling.’ In other words, you don’t go to school five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then have three months off. You really look at what things you need to learn as your core subject areas and what things you’re most interested in learning, and then you figure out the best way and/or place to learn those things. It could be in the form of an apprenticeship that you start at middle school age. 
In West Michigan there’s a school that is an outdoor school, so kids are outdoors all day for their education. They choose to go there, and they love it. The teachers choose to teach there, and they love it. I use it as an example of ways to think differently.
DW: Who do you hope to reach with this new book?
DeVos: I hope that any parent who is concerned about their kids’ education and has an interest in seeing something different or better will look at this and read it. I hope that people who have a negative view of me — because of everything that was reported and/or how I was characterized — will look at it with an open mind. I tell a lot of stories about the experiences I had while in office. The great schools we focused on visiting, schools that were doing things differently and meeting kids’ needs and different ways. I would hope that readers would also become convicted to help be a part of changing policy to support education freedom for all kids.
<a href="https://betsydevos.com/">Betsy DeVos</a> served as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education from 2017-2021. Her new book &#8220;Hostages No More: The Fight For Education Freedom And The Future Of The American Child&#8221; (Center Street, June 2022) is now available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostages-No-More-Education-American/dp/1546002014">Amazon.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not represent those of The Daily Wire.

bright – Daily Wire – Interview with Betsy Devos, former secretary of education

‘Education Freedom For All Kids’: An Interview With Betsy DeVos, Former Secretary Of Education

Books

Readers Pass

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan">Michigan</a> Republican gubernatorial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-supreme-court-ends-gop-candidates-ballot-hopes">primary</a> was thrown into chaos in recent weeks as voters in the Great Lakes State have just over a month to decide who will get their nod for the nomination.
Two of the favorites to win the GOP primary were former Detroit Police Chief <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-craig-announces-write-in-campaign-for-michigan-gop-gubernatorial-primary-says-ballot-disqualification-is-crap">James Craig</a> and businessman Perry Johnson, but fraudulent petition signatures <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-election-chaos-gop-frontrunner-4-others-are-barred-from-ballot-after-board-split">disqualified</a> them, along with three other GOP candidates, from appearing on the August 2 primary ballot.
Now, in a race blown wide open, the five candidates who qualified for the ballot have been cast into the spotlight. So who are these Michigan Republican candidates vying for a chance to unseat <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gretchen-whitmer">Gretchen Whitmer</a> (D), one of the most well-known governors in the country?
Ryan Kelley 
<div id="attachment_400152" style="width: 289px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400152" class="size-medium wp-image-400152" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Ryan-Kelley-279x300.jpg" alt="" width="279" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ryan-Kelley-279x300.jpg 279w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ryan-Kelley-536x576.jpg 536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ryan-Kelley-768x826.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ryan-Kelley.jpg 957w" sizes="(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px" />Ryan Kelley Campaign</div>
No candidate in the chaotic Michigan primary race has been through more controversy and drama in the last month than Ryan Kelley. On June 9, the Grand Rapids-area real estate broker was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-raids-home-of-michigan-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-and-whitmer-challenger-takes-him-into-custody-report">arrested</a> by the FBI at his home in connection to his presence at the January 6 Capitol riot in Washington D.C. Days later, a federal judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-must-surrender-his-guns-federal-judge-orders">ordered</a> him to surrender his guns as he awaits trial for misdemeanor charges.
But the recent events surrounding Kelley have not distracted him from staying focused on the race, and the latest <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/16/fbi-arrest-could-boost-kelleys-primary-run-governor-poll-shows/7626193001/">polling shows</a> him as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Kelley is running for governor not only because he wants Michigan to improve, but also because he believes the entire country is heading in a bad direction.
“I’m in this race because I love this country,” he told The Daily Wire. “I love our republic. I want to fight for our Constitution and for freedom for the next generation.”
During the COVID pandemic and Whitmer’s ensuing lockdowns, Kelley led protests and rallies against the governor’s measures — another reason he cited for jumping into the race. “You get Gretchen Whitmer back in there, you can expect more of the same and without concern of having to be reelected again at any point in the future,” he argued.
Kelley understands the path to defeating an incumbent governor is not easy. It’s been nearly <a href="https://www.nga.org/former-governors/michigan/">60 years</a> since a Michigan governor lost a reelection bid after one term, but he remains hopeful that voters will look poorly on Whitmer’s actions over her first term.
“If there’s any time in our history as a state that an incumbent governor could be unseated, now is that time because of the events that have unfolded over the past few years,” Kelley said.
Garrett Soldano
<div id="attachment_396501" style="width: 282px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-396501" class="size-medium wp-image-396501" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Garrett-Soldano-272x300.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="300" />Garrett Soldano Campaign</div>
When the Whitmer administration took one of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigans-gov-whitmer-now-under-fire-for-states-covid-19-nursing-home-policy">strictest</a> approaches of any state to respond to the COVID pandemic, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-gubernatorial-candidate-to-air-new-ad-targeting-radical-gender-theory-in-schools-calling-out-woke-whitmer">Garrett Soldano</a> organized a movement to oppose the lockdowns. Thousands of supporters joined the Kalamazoo chiropractor through Facebook and his group Stand Up Michigan to voice their opposition to Whitmer’s orders.
Soldano admitted that when he first announced his campaign for governor, he knew it was a long shot. But now, he believes the momentum from his movement will help propel him to the Republican nomination and give him the best chance to defeat Whitmer, who he says voters want held responsible for the state’s economic and infrastructure struggles.
“You’re not going to beat Governor Whitmer on policy,” he said. “You’re not going to get on stage with Governor Whitmer and say you’re going to fix the gosh darn roads better. It’s accountability time.”
Soldano places a strong emphasis on improving schools in the state, specifically by encouraging parents to get involved in their children’s education.
“We don’t have a teacher problem,” Soldano said. “We’re not going to allow a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.” Instead, he sees the solution to the problem in schools is getting more parents “involved” and “engaged” with their children’s education.
Soldano has also delved into the culture war, criticizing radical gender theory being aimed at children.
“This gender theory and sexual theory that’s being taught in schools, you have no right to do that,” he said. “If you want to teach my kid critical anything, you teach him critical thinking, critical math, critical reading. You can teach my kid how to critically think, not what to think.”
Kevin Rinke  
<div id="attachment_400155" style="width: 384px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400155" class=" wp-image-400155" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Kevin-Rinke-300x192.jpeg" alt="" width="374" height="239" />Kevin Rinke Campaign</div>
Businessman Kevin Rinke jumped into the GOP gubernatorial primary because he’s sick of what he sees as historic government failure. “I have never seen government dysfunction like I have seen under the Whitmer administration,” he told The Daily Wire.
Rinke’s main concern is with the state’s approach to the economy, both from the fallout of harsh COVID lockdowns and the state’s taxes levied against citizens and businesses. He said it was “either leave the state of Michigan like 16,000 other people did last year under [Whitmer’s] leadership, or stand up and fight.”
Rinke plans to fight, and he’s focused on making Michigan a state of economic freedom for its citizens.
“I want to give back to citizens $11.8 billion of their money because I know that they know how to spend it better than the people in Lansing,” he commented.
To give the people of Michigan more freedom over their money, Rinke wants to eliminate the state’s 4.25% flat income tax, promising to do so if elected by January 1, 2024.
The businessman noted his experience running companies and believes it gives him an edge over the other GOP candidates. “I’m the only candidate that has operated both private businesses and worked in public businesses,” he said, adding, “I respect the other candidates but they simply don’t have the experience, they simply don’t have the business scale.”
During his interview with The Daily Wire, Rinke didn’t hold back from taking swipes at Whitmer. “Gretchen Whitmer is well known for her failures,” he said. “She’s well known for auditioning to be Joe Biden’s vice president.”
“She’s the worst governor in America,” Rinke added.
Tudor Dixon 
<div id="attachment_400157" style="width: 255px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400157" class=" wp-image-400157" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon-199x300.jpeg" alt="" width="245" height="369" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon-199x300.jpeg 199w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon-383x576.jpeg 383w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon-768x1155.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon-1021x1536.jpeg 1021w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Tudor-Dixon.jpeg 1191w" sizes="(max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px" />Tudor Dixon Campaign</div>
As a mother, businesswoman, and political commentator, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-tudor-dixon-ill-criminalize-involving-children-in-drag-shows">Tudor Dixon</a> believes she has the skills and leadership qualities necessary to lead Michigan to economic strength and make families a priority.
In the early 2000s, Dixon worked in the Michigan steel industry, where she made a name for herself becoming chairwoman of the Steel Founders Society of America&#8217;s Future Leaders Committee. She later started a conservative news program that taught kids about government before she got in front of the camera herself as a political commentator.
In an interview with The Daily Wire, Dixon said that Whitmer’s policies have “done so much damage to the state,” and she believes pointing to the governor’s record over the past three and a half years will show Michigan voters that the state needs new direction.
“You look at what her record is, and we really strongly believe if we just hold her to her record, that’s enough to remind the people of Michigan that we can have a much better state,” Dixon said.
Dixon said her campaign has always prioritized being “very family focused,” and she has the endorsements to back it up. Recently, Dixon secured the endorsement of Michigan Right to Life, and the influential DeVos family, which includes former Trump Education Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/betsy-devos">Betsy DeVos</a>, also gave the nod to her campaign.
“We were very blessed to have the [DeVos family] come in and say they believe in our message, they believe in our plan,” Dixon told The Daily Wire. “And they have a lot of influence in this state when it comes to the political movement, so a lot of people look at their endorsement and say ‘this person has a chance to go up against Gretchen Whitmer with the right plan for families.’”
Ralph Rebandt 
<div id="attachment_400172" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400172" class="size-medium wp-image-400172" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Ralph-Rebandt-300x276.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="276" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ralph-Rebandt-300x276.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ralph-Rebandt-627x576.jpg 627w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ralph-Rebandt-768x706.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Ralph-Rebandt.jpg 827w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Ralph Rebandt Campaign</div>
Retired pastor Ralph Rebandt stepped down from three decades in the ministry to run for governor, pointing to Whitmer’s COVID lockdowns as a major factor in his decision. Whitmer “was simply looking at political science and not medical science,” he said.
Rebandt told The Daily Wire in an interview that he hasn’t seen any effective solutions coming out of the state capital over the past 30 years he’s been a pastor, and he wants to change that. He mentioned his experience of seeing God change individual lives as another reason that convinced him to jump into politics and offer solutions “for the mess that we’re in.”
For every candidate, name recognition is invaluable, especially in the wide open Michigan GOP race that saw its most well-known GOP candidate barred from appearing on the primary ballot. Rebandt believes his endorsement from the Southeastern Michigan Chiefs of Police, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and pro-life activist Abby Johnson will help him stand out to more voters.
Rebandt did not shy away from commenting on culture war issues, especially the issue of radical gender theories being targeted toward children. “That’s what’s warping our children’s minds,” he said. “That’s what’s warping our culture, and it’s basically an attack on the family. On those issues, I’m very strong.”
On the other significant culture issue of abortion, Rebandt said he believes in a total ban and claims to be the strongest candidate in the field on the issue. “The Bible tells us that God creates the child in the womb and gives life,” he said.
With a chance to face off against Whitmer on the line, these five GOP candidates are bound for a tight race down the stretch as each seeks to convince voters that he or she is the best choice to turn the governor’s mansion back over to Republicans.

Gretchen Whitmer

These 5 GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Made The Ballot In A Chaotic Michigan Primary. Now They’re Vying For A Chance To Unseat Gretchen Whitmer.

Meet The Five GOP Candidates Vying To Unseat Gretchen Whitmer Who Made The Ballot In A Chaotic Michigan Primary

2022 Election

governor

Michigan

Republican Primary

On Thursday, while her state was suffering  from the failure of its vaccine rollout, Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer found time to mock outgoing Secretary of Education Betsy Devos, issuing a tweet showing Whitmer in a T-shirt emblazoned, “Dear [silhouette of America], Sorry about Betsy DeVos, Sincerely, [silhouette of Michigan].”
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👋 <a href="https://t.co/nfDBO8kAou">pic.twitter.com/nfDBO8kAou</a>
&mdash; Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/gretchenwhitmer/status/1347376682559283202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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DeVos resigned her position on Thursday.
<a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/michigan-7th-worst-administering-covid-vaccine/69-b1eca9b5-82a3-4b8b-a9f0-3d7a23ae736c">WZZM reported</a> on Wednesday, the day before Whitmer issued her tweet mocking DeVos:
<blockquote>Michigan ranks 7th worst in the nation for administering COVID-19 vaccines, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Michigan received more than 520,000 doses of Pfizer&#8217;s and Moderna&#8217;s coronavirus vaccines as of Monday, but only about 27% of those vaccines doses had been administered, <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_103214_103272-547150--,00.html">according to data</a> from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). This means that three quarters of the vaccines sent to Michigan &#8212; nearly 380,000 doses &#8212; are still in freezers.</blockquote>
According to <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education">U.S. News and World Report</a>, Michigan lags far behind most states. U.S. News reported that Michigan ranked 37th out of the fifty states across the nation. U.S. News also reported that when it comes to higher education, Michigan ranked even lower, coming in 42nd of the 50 states. Regarding K-12 education, Michigan again finished in the lower half of rankings, coming in 29th.
CBS political correspondent Ed O’Keefe celebrated Whitmer for her attack on DeVos, although he later deleted the tweet:
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CBS News Political Correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/edokeefe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdOKeefe</a> just deleted this tweet. <a href="https://t.co/buWA8Eobdu">pic.twitter.com/buWA8Eobdu</a>
&mdash; Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1347384301218902016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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DeVos has fought for school choice for students for decades. In October, speaking at the famed conservative Hillsdale College, she <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-10-20/betsy-devos-says-school-choice-is-coming-like-it-or-not">stated</a>: &#8220;At the end of the day, we want parents to have the freedom, the choices, and the funds to make the best decisions for their children. The &#8216;Washington knows best&#8217; crowd really loses their minds over that.”
Slamming the idea that the government should be more involved in people’s lives, she continued, “Too many today – especially among our rising generation – don&#8217;t seem to understand the dangers of such a view. They somehow have come to believe that socialism is the cure, not the deadly disease it really is. Tragically, it&#8217;s because no one has taught them differently. And worse, some have been indoctrinated to believe not in themselves, but in government.&#8221;
In a letter sent recently to Congress, DeVos wrote: &#8220;Given this precedent of choice and empowerment, it is impossible to understand how it is acceptable for federal taxpayer dollars to support a student attending the University of Notre Dame, but not for a student who wants to attend Notre Dame Prep High School … Let me encourage you to fund education — that is, learning – not a Department of Education. Let me urge you to fund students, not school buildings,” as <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/532575-devos-makes-final-pitch-for-school-choice-in-letter-to-congress">The Hill</a> reported.
She added, “I hope you also reject misguided calls to make college &#8216;free&#8217; and require the two-thirds of Americans who didn&#8217;t take on student debt or who responsibly paid off their student loans to pay for the loans of those who have not done the same.”
The approach of Whitmer’s Michigan clashes with DeVos&#8217; priorities. <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/01/24/editorial-roadblocks-ahead-michigan-school-choice/4552939002/">The Detroit News</a> noted in January 2020:
<blockquote>Michigan, along with 36 other states, have Blaine amendments that block state dollars from reaching private schools. Michigan’s is the worst of the bunch, with language blocking any aid — direct or indirect. That constitutional amendment was added in 1970, and has resulted in preventing the state from participating in voucher or tax-credit programs available in more than half the states.</blockquote>

Whitmer DeVos

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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her letter of resignation to President Donald Trump late on Thursday, saying that his actions yesterday influenced what unfolded.
&#8220;We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration&#8217;s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people,&#8221; DeVos wrote in her letter. &#8220;Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people&#8217;s business. That behavior was unconscionable for our country. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.&#8221;
&#8220;Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us,&#8221; DeVos continued. &#8220;I believe we each have a moral obligation to exercise good judgement and model the behavior we hope they emulate. They must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday. To that end, today I resign from my position, effective Friday, January 8, in support of the oath I took to our Constitution, our people, and our freedoms.&#8221;
DeVos’ letter highlighted the work that the administration did in expanding efforts to put &#8220;parents in charge of education&#8221; and lead the expansion of &#8220;school choice and education freedom in many states.&#8221;
The DeVos family are big-time Republican donors, having potentially <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/01/17/devos-says-its-possible-her-family-has-donated-200m-to-republicans/?sh=7b224dcfac91">donated</a> approximately $200 million to Republican candidates.
&#8220;We have restored the proper federal role by returning power to states, communities, educators, and parents,&#8221; DeVos said in her resignation letter. &#8220;We have returned due process to our nation&#8217;s schools and defended the First Amendment rights of students and teachers. We have dramatically improved the way students interact with Federal Student Aid. We have lifted up students by restoring year-round Pell, expanding Second Chance Pell, delivering unprecedented opportunities for students at HBCU&#8217;s, and so much more.&#8221;
&#8220;With just weeks until his departure, Trump has lost at least two Cabinet secretaries &#8212; DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao &#8212; along with several top advisers, including Mick Mulvaney who told CNBC &#8216;I can&#8217;t stay,'&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/education-secretary-betsy-devos-resigns-riots">reported</a>. &#8220;In the hours after rioters stormed the Capitol, Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary and chief of staff to the first lady, resigned.&#8221;
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.

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In her <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/489865965/Betsy-Letter#from_embed">farewell letter</a> to the Department of Education, outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended due process and urged the agency not to fall back on the unfair Title IX practices of the previous administration.
DeVos was able to finalize new regulations regarding how schools adjudicate allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The regulations made the process fairer by providing basic due process rights to accused students (like the right to know the exact allegations against them, to have access to the evidence against them, and be able to cross-examine that evidence and witnesses). Activists filed multiple lawsuits against the new regulations and repeatedly lost in court.
The regulations held up because DeVos followed proper procedure to enact them, unlike the Obama administration, which ignored that procedure when it released its 2011 “Dear Colleague Letter” and follow-up guidelines that encouraged schools to find more students responsible while discouraging due process and fairness.
“This rule strengthens protections for survivors of sexual misconduct and restores due process to ensure that all students can pursue an education free from sexual discrimination,” DeVos wrote. “The regulation, which carries the force of law, holds schools accountable for responding equitably and promptly to sexual misconduct, and ensures a more fair and reliable adjudication process. The regulation provides a consistent, legally sound framework on which survivors, the accused, and schools can rely; protects K-12 students by requiring elementary and secondary schools to promptly respond to a notice of sexual harassment; and restores fairness on campuses by upholding all students’ rights.”
DeVos then urged career Education Department employees to maintain the rules she enacted instead of returning to a day when due process was seen as anathema to justice.
“You should reject and efforts to undercut this important rule for survivors,” she wrote. “A wide array of voices, from liberal academics to civil libertarians to multiple U.S. appellate courts, have all opined on the imperative for due process not just for accused parties, but for survivors as well. Do not lose sight of the fact that the non-regulatory guidance around Title IX led to hundreds of legal challenges that went against the alleged victims of sexual assault because of the lack of fair due process. If we are going to sustainably ensure that no one suffers discrimination and sexual assault, we need to protect the balanced Title IX final rule.”
Activists claimed due process hurt accusers because it forced them to face the men they accused, suggesting women on campus should be allowed to simply make an accusation and get any man thrown off campus. The definition of sexual assault was also broadened under the Obama administration, ensuring more accusations from women who were not truly victims.
The DeVos rules were a step in the right direction toward bringing sanity to college campuses, yet incoming President Joe Biden has said he would overturn them, implying he would do so without using the proper channels.

Outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Defends Due Process In Farewell Letter

Sexual Assault

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