Education Secretary: Oklahoma Students Suffering Due To "Adult Squabbles"

The head of the federal Department of Education said Oklahoma students were suffering in the midst of "adult squabbles," according to a news report from The Washington Post.

Betsy DeVos said teachers and legislators should "keep adult disagreements and disputes in a separate place," intimating that educators should return to their classrooms after Day 6 of the Oklahoma teacher walkout.

Teachers in many districts in the state have walked out since April 2 to protest funding levels, which impact public school classrooms for things such as class size, equipment, textbooks and more. The state Legislature had already given Oklahoma teachers a $6,100 pay raise the week before.

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DeVos's primary message to teachers was to think about the children who are not in classrooms due to the walkout. She said this in an interview with the Dallas Morning News:

I think we need to stay focused on what’s right for kids. And I hope that adults would keep adult disagreements and disputes in a separate place, and serve the students that are there to be served.