The Real News’ Jaisal Noor interviews teacher and union activist Noelanie Fuentes Cardona who tells us about Law 85 and how Puerto Rico’s Democratic governor and Betsy DeVos have teamed up to introduce charter schools and online schools to an island still coping with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
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Rich Kacmar
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This opportunistic abuse of power is reminiscent of what happened in New Orleans after Katrina. Now 13 years later, with mostly white, young teachers (former teachers illegally sent away not to teach there again), threat of closure for not raising scores, high risk groups not included in scores, special ed students treated like outsiders and being kept out, more skimming by counseling students out of school who do not score well, and oh yea, 24,000 people between the ages of 16 and 22 who are not accounted for in New Orleans since they are neither in school or have a job. There are still as many as 20,000+ less students in school in New Orleans than pre-Katrina. These charter initiatives hurt the most susceptible of our society, but test scores appear to be up, so does that make it all good? Don’t forget the official reported number of deaths in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria was 64. This number turned out to be grossly incorrect. Left unchecked, this charter movement will be grossly mishandled. Power to the people of Puerto Rico. I hope they accomplish blocking the charter movement better than we in the States have done.