Jahanna Hayes Asks Linda McMahon Point Blank If Holocaust Education In Schools Is A DEI Program

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At a House Education & Workforce Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Jahanna Hayes (D-CT) questioned Education Secretary Linda McMahon about Holocaust education.

Transcript

00:00Thank the gentleman. I recognize the gentlelady from Connecticut, Ms. Hayes.

00:07Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Secretary, welcome to our committee.

00:12It's interesting. I took a lot of notes. I had prepared questions, but I think I'm

00:16going in a very different direction. We've heard other colleagues talk about the NAEP scores,

00:21and I heard you say that the President was angered and embarrassed by these,

00:25and I think we all should be. But when you disaggregate those scores,

00:28they clearly show that low-income students score significantly lower than their white and

00:32higher-income peers, and that is mostly in part to ongoing disparities in educational access and

00:39quality, which makes much of what I'm hearing today that much more relevant. You mentioned

00:45Connecticut. We both come from the state of Connecticut. Connecticut relies on property

00:50taxes to fund education, and we have one of the largest income gaps in the nation,

00:56which means by design or default, low-income students face multiple challenges, including

01:01limited access to resources and opportunities outside of schools, which is why I don't understand

01:07many of the decisions made in this budget. One of my colleagues asked about collecting data on

01:13family composition and background. The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is mandated by law

01:18to do that. I was pleased to hear you say that the Department of Education does not control curriculum,

01:28instruction, instructional materials, the teachers that are hired, which makes your words contradictory,

01:34because every argument you have is to put local control back into the states, but states already have

01:41local control, as anyone who has any knowledge or background of education would already know.

01:47The role of the Department of Education would be the civil rights enforcement of those local controls,

01:52which, again, the irony of this budget zeroing out American history and civic education programs

01:59when you couldn't even answer a question about Ruby Bridges or the election of President Biden,

02:03which are as basic as it gets. So I really, really don't understand it. But you are making the argument for

02:12me, because when you respond to questions from my colleagues by saying that sounds like an issue for

02:17state legislatures, that is why the Office of Civil Rights is necessary, because state legislatures made

02:24the decision that Ruby Bridges did not have the right to a free and appropriate high-quality public

02:30education. So you, Madam Secretary, are actually making the argument for the role of the Department,

02:38not to dictate local curriculum instruction or instructional materials, but to make sure that

02:44those things are carried out by the Department. I mean, that states follow the law, that they are doing

02:50those things. So 49 million children in this country receive public education services. About 3 million

02:58children are in charter schools. There are not enough charter school slots. So my questions are mainly

03:04focused on what about those other 46 million children. So I'm going to, I mean, it's mind-blowing. I hear you

03:12talk about safety, keeping students safe on school campuses, but not a word about the 390,000 students

03:19who have been affected by gun violence. I was in the classroom on the day Sandy Hook happened and the

03:25federal government came in with almost two million dollars to rebuild that community and provide programs

03:30for the surrounding communities. In your opening, I heard you mention, uh, student athletes and LGBTQ students

03:37twice. Not one word. And even when my colleague asked you if you thought it was a public health crisis, you can't

03:42answer questions that affect the majority of students. So I'm not really sure. I mean, I try to, I am an educator by

03:52nature. I try to be supportive of what the Department of Education does because I need for you to succeed for my

03:58students to succeed. But when you come in and say your final mission is to eliminate the department, it says, it says

04:03to me that the 46 million children that are not receiving services do not matter. I ran out most of my time, but this

04:10bill defunds literacy programs, eliminates 21st century community learning center, eliminates preschool grants for

04:18children with disabilities, eliminates, uh, uh, reduces funding for career and technical education, like all of these things.

04:28I'm going to ask you two really quick questions. Do you think that Holocaust education in our schools

04:33is a DEI program? There's no card for that. That's just yes or no. I can look at whatever card. Holocaust

04:40education. Is it a DEI? You can have a press conference to say whatever you want. I just need

04:44a quick answer to this. Is Holocaust, because this is my time, is Holocaust education a DEI program?

04:51No. Is African-American studies a DEI program? I think I answered that with one of your problems.

04:56I'm asking it again. Just yes or no? We should be able to teach courses. My point is they are DEI

05:02programs, both of them, because students need diversity, equity, and inclusion to understand

05:08their environments. So both Holocaust education and the teaching of African-American history are important,

05:14which is why the state of Connecticut requires it in our social studies curriculum. You're talking

05:19out of both sides of your mouth. You can't support one without supporting the other. And looking at

05:24what happens in the schools and actually deferring to teachers, parents who are on curriculum committees,

05:31local boards of education, and states who actually do the hard work and listening to what they say

05:37would be incredibly helpful in this role. I appreciate the passion, but it's time to move on. I yield back.

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