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Media advisory

Ahead of McMahon Hearing, Parents, Educators, & Leaders Rally to Protect Students and Public Schools

February 10, 2025

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, February 12, parents, educators, community leaders and elected officials will gather outside the U.S. Capitol to take a stand for students and public schools ahead of Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing. 

During the first weeks of the Trump administration, executive order after executive order have stripped students’ civil rights protections, sent our country backward, and taken opportunities away from our students. Now, before Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing, parents, educators, community leaders, and elected officials are rallying to protect students and public schools. They know that Trump’s extreme and extremely unpopular agenda is a direct attack on students' futures.  

Trump’s agenda, which includes eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, would dramatically increase class sizes, steal resources from our most vulnerable students, enable the passage of voucher schemes across the country, take vital services away from students with disabilities, cut job-training programs, make higher education more expensive, and gut hard-won civil rights protections.    

Who:               Parents, educators, community leaders, and elected officials including: 

  • Parents and educators sharing their personal stories about how they will be impacted  
  • Rep.  Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member  
  • Rep. Alma Adams 
  • Rep. Suzanne Bonamici  
  • Rep. Marc Takano 
  • National Education Association President Becky Pringle  
  • American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten,
  • MomsRising member and mom of three Daniella Knight, and  
  • Additional speakers to be announced.  

What:              Rally to protect students and public schools 

Where:            Capitol Grounds (corner of Independence Ave SE & First Street SE, across from the Cannon Office Building 

When:             Wednesday, February 12th at 4:15 PM 

Media RSVP:  https://forms.office.com/r/Vcw9cPCdiM 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, stop discrimination against women and moms, and build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: www.MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.