HANOVER, Md. (AP) — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos bumped fists with first-graders and listened as they shared stories about friendship during a field trip Thursday by a presidential commission seeking ways to stem a steady stream of school violence.
DeVos toured Hebron Harman Elementary School in Hanover, Maryland, which specializes in positive behavior reinforcement, an approach focused on mentoring and counseling as opposed to punitive discipline.
The field trip was held on the same day President Donald Trump traveled to Texas to meet with families of some of the 10 people killed in a May 18 shooting at Santa Fe High School.
DeVos chairs the Federal Commission on School Safety, which was formed after the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. Besides DeVos, the panel consists of the attorney general and the heads of the departments of Human Services and Homeland Security. During Thursday’s visit the three agencies were represented by senior officials, not the secretaries.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for not including any Democrats, educators or experts as full-fledged members of the safety commission.
DeVos listened to teachers, principals and experts share various approaches to making their schools welcoming and safe for students. DeVos said she understands the anxiety many parents and teachers feel after the Florida tragedy.
“In the aftermath, students and educators alike understandably fear that this could happen in their own school,” she said. “Parents dread getting a phone call that too many other parents have experienced.”
DeVos sat down on the carpet with children during a first grade’s morning meeting as students shared stories of how their friends helped them overcome difficult situations and feel better. In another classroom, she assisted a girl in reading a book about Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child who attended an all-white school in Louisiana during the segregation era. DeVos then joined another class where children were writing essays about the things they wanted to invent.