DETROIT – Betsy DeVos visited a Detroit charter school Thursday and was greeted with protests.
DeVos, the longest-serving member of President Donald Trump's cabinet, was in Detroit pushing a controversial plan.
DeVos -- a strong believer in the charter school system -- visited Detroit Edison Public School Academy on Wilkins Street. It's a charter school authorized by Oakland University.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Education said DeVos and her deputy secretaries have visited many types of schools to see how they operate. DeVos stressed she's not interested in schools as much as she's interested in students and the ability for parents to choose what type of school they attend.
"There are many other states that have programs that empower families to make choices, whether it's a faith-based school or a virtual school," DeVos said. "There are a lot of good examples in other states of what Michigan can and should look at and aspire to."
Some residents said students and their districts need to be equally funded because parents don't always have the ability to choose a school based on geography and resources.
DeVos didn't hear from the protestors -- her vehicle pulled around the back of the school, where her team entered and departed the school without coming face-to-face with parents and members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union who also wanted her attention.