Commissioner Jett Remarks on the Federal Government's Presence and Its Harm to Kids
MINNEAPOLIS – Today, Commissioner Willie Jett made the following remarks addressing the federal government's ongoing presence in Minnesota and its harm to students and schools.
"I don’t have much to say today because this is very simple. What is happening right now is harming children.
"Just the other day, I was on an airplane, heading home, and in the seat next to me was a five-year-old who wanted nothing more than to share his grapes with me, play little number games, and, with pure delight, feel my bald head like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. And to my new young friend, Wes from Central Minnesota, thank you for making that plane ride more fun than expected.
"You see, Wes doesn’t care about headlines, he doesn’t carry anger, and he certainly doesn’t walk through any part of this world with fear in his heart. He just gets to be a kid. That sweetness, that innocence, that joy is something every child deserves to experience.
"What is happening across our state, what is happening in schools and communities that should be safe havens for our students, is robbing children of pieces of that innocence. It’s eroding their sense of safety. It’s interrupting the full academic experiences we work so hard to create in every classroom.
"To our educators across Minnesota, thank you. To the school support professionals, volunteers, coaches, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and counselors, thank you. Every day you show up to keep kids learning and safe, and you are doing the best work in this state.
"Let us commit, every one of us, to protect our children’s joy, protect their right to safety and learning, and protect their right to be children in full. Like I said in the beginning, what is happening right now is harming young people."
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