****OccupyAustin Mic Checks Arne Duncan!****

Occupy Austin Mic Checks Arne Duncan
By: Kit OConnell Saturday March 10, 2012 7:18 pm

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at ACC, moments before being mic checked.

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Thursday, I participated in a ‘MIC CHECK’ confrontation with Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education, at a town hall meeting at Austin Community College. Duncan is criticized for many reasons, but he came under fire from Occupy Austin for his support of charter schools and privatization which puts teachers out of work, puts taxpayer money and our students in the hands of 1% corporations with little accountability.

Occupy AISD (a.k.a. Occupy Education) is one of our most effective working groups. They’ve engaged in amazing outreach to schools, teachers, parents, and activists. They led a successful rally earlier this month bringing many non-occupiers on the march. They’ve also had a real effect on our schools, supporting the efforts to oppose IDEA Charter that resulted in only 5 students asking to attend the controversial east side charter school.
I felt honored to support their efforts today with the help of four other occupiers who attended the town hall meeting. Here’s what our mic check sounded like: TWO VIDEOS AT WEB SITE:




MIC CHECK

This message comes from teachers, parents, & education activists.

We are aware of your attempts to privatize public education.

We are aware of your agenda to corporatize public education.

Our schools are not for sale!

As Secretary of Education

Your job is to discover a way to provide schools & teachers

PUBLIC resources & funding

NOT from private charters & corporations

We refuse to allow

The continued push by the 1%

To infiltrate our public education systems!

OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT FOR SALE

OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT FOR SALE

OUR TEACHERS ARE NOT FOR SALE

OCCUPY! AUSTIN!

http://my.firedoglake.com/kitoconnell/2012/03/10/occupy... /