EAST HARTFORD — Teachers, students and parents have gathered outside a Connecticut high school to protest U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calling the school a "dangerous day care."

Demonstrators outside East Hartford High School on Tuesday said DeVos was wrong about the school. Connecticut Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson and Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also spoke out against DeVos' comments.

DeVos last week quoted a former student saying the school was "nothing more than adult day care ... a dangerous day care." The remarks came during testimony before a congressional subcommittee about what DeVos called the failure of public schools and the need for more school choice.

A U.S. Education Department spokeswoman says DeVos testified about how many students need educational options and did not generalize about the high school's student body.