August 12, United States Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited Don R. Roberts Elementary School in west Little Rock, as well as Saline County Career and Technical Campus, marking the second stop of her “Returning Education to the States Tour.” McMahon plans to visit all 50 states to promote the efforts of dismantling the Department of Education and giving power to the states, which has faced backlash from both Congress and constituents. She was joined Tuesday by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, United States Senator Tom Cotton, and Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva.

The group toured the school, stopping to visit with first and third-grade classes. After sitting in on a typical class routine, the officials held a roundtable discussion. In attendance were Superintendent Jermall Wright, Roberts principal Steven Helmick, several state legislators, and teachers from the school. 

Sanders specified in her opening remarks that Roberts Elementary is one of the schools that “has some of the highest performance anywhere in the state of Arkansas.”

Although the media was asked to leave following the opening remarks, Wright said in an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story that the discussion went better than he could have imagined.

“I appreciated the opportunity for our district to be highlighted in such a positive way,” Wright said. 

While no parents were present, the event sparked controversy in the community, drawing protestors to the scene. Some protestors who gathered outside of the school held signs criticizing McMahon, while chanting, “LEARNS kills public schools,” referring to the LEARNS Act that Sanders passed in 2023.

McMahon will continue her tour for the remainder of the year.