Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued a dramatic plea to staffers at a department-wide meeting on Tuesday to “be the resistance” after the presidential transition next month, Politico reports. Citing a recording of the virtual meeting, Politico reports that DeVos first acknowledged that many staffers in attendance would stick around after the transition before launching into her Trumpian tangent. “Let me leave you with this plea: Resist,” she was quoted saying. “Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what’s right for students. In everything you do, please put students first—always.” DeVos also reportedly stressed that she had always strived to do “what’s right for students” and pointed to her revamping of Title IX rules on sexual assault as one of her biggest achievements. Her overhaul of the Obama-era policy, which regulates how schools must handle sexual assault allegations, was criticized for giving more rights to those accused of sexual assault in a way that critics say makes things much harder for survivors. President-elect Joe Biden has said he intends to put a “quick end” to DeVos’ Title IX overhaul.
