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Protesters denounce President Trump's school choice vision during Pine Hills visit

ORLANDO, Fla. — About 120 people gathered Friday on Colonial Drive in Orange County to protest President Donald Trump's visit to Orlando.

The protesters were armed with signs and a message for the president.

One woman held a sign that said, "Build Schools, Not the Wall."

MORE: Trump to visit Pine Hills school to talk school choice

Kathy Hartong traveled form Kissimmee with a sign depicting the Statue of Liberty.

“Whether it’s the wall, Muslims, the ICE raids, the school system, the environment, it seems like we need to defend the dignity of others on so many of those issues,” said Hartong

Trump had few allies in the crowds, and while it’s not known if he heard the protesters’ chants, he waved at them from his limousine as the motorcade drove by the crowd.

The president visited St. Andrew Catholic School in Pine Hills to speak to children and push his plan to expand school choice.

While addressing a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump discussed his vision for a school-choice bill that would give students the option to attend private schools through taxpayer dollars.

Members of the local teachers' union are concerned about how such a vision will impact funding for public education and Trump’s overall plan for education.

The president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, Wendy Doromal, said a tax credit for children to attend private schools would take money from public schools.

“We don’t want to weaken our public schools with voucher schemes. We want to strengthen them,” said Wendy Doromal, president of the Orange County Classroom Teacher’s Association.

The union said many teachers couldn't be at the protest because they were in school, but Tandy Braid of Polk County took a day off to voice her opinion.

“If they keep defunding public schools, it’s no longer going to be an option,” said Braid.

Braid, a former teacher and current school media specialist, said she’s worried about how public schools will continue to be funded.

“I’ve been a teacher for 19 years now and it’s a struggle for me to literally put food on the table and get my bills paid,” she said.

The union took issue with the president’s policies and the place he chose to visit.

“How dare you make your visit to a school, a private school, when 90 percent of American children are in public schools,” said Doromal.

Doromal said that talk of a credit for private schools could reduce funding for public schools.

POTUS visits Orlando school.

Posted by Michael Lopardi WFTV on Friday, March 3, 2017
Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi joined Eyewitness News as a general assignment reporter in April 2015.