Acting Education Department chief wants all kids to have access to quality learning

PHOENIX — The acting secretary of the Education Department told students in Phoenix on Friday that the mission to give everyone access to education doesn’t change, no matter who’s in office.

“It’s critically important, whoever’s the secretary of education, that they understand that, fundamentally, the Education Department is a civil rights agency,” John B. King Jr. told students at Phoenix College. “With the responsibility to protect the interests of all students.”

King was participating in a roundtable discussion about the future of Arizona’s education, particularly that of college students.

One topic that was discussed was the issue surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals-eligible students. King said they must be supported, like any other American student, because they are learning skills to support themselves and their communities.

“I think it’s important for folks all over the country who care about our economic future and the strength of our communities to stand up for DACA students,” he said.

The president of Arizona State University, Michael Crow, has vowed to support DACA-eligible students through in-state tuition rates and counseling.

“It is based on the core principle set forth in ASU’s charter that we are ‘measured not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include and how they succeed,'” Crow wrote in a letter.

Phoenix was a stop on King’s Opportunity Across America tour.

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