FERGUSON, Mo. – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Ferguson yesterday to listen to students’ stories of “trauma and healing” after the death of teenager Michael Brown.

Duncan was joined by American Federation of Teachers president Rhonda “Randi” Weingarten.

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The secretary and union president visited two schools – Clyde C. Miller Career Academy and Riverview Gardens High School – to meet with students.

They were closed to the media so students could be “fully open and candid.”

“Our kids are absolutely amazing,” Duncan tells the Post-Dispatch. “Unbelievably thoughtful and committed to making a difference.”

“This level of wanting to confront racism and bias directly and move forward is the unmistakable lesson and unmistakable message we heard today,” Weingarten says.

Jada Goodman, a Riverview Gardens sophomore, reportedly told them she fears for the safety of her older brother at the hands of the police.

The paper reports Duncan “said the Education Department has experience dealing with crises, and made reference to its outreach to areas affected by hurricanes and school shootings. There are short-term grants that can help districts and schools most affected by the unrest here.”

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He adds, “we’re in this for the long haul.”

After the school appearances the pair, along with U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay visited a church to meet with a number of professors, protesters and college students.

There’s no indication they met with any law enforcement officials.

At that meeting, the trio learned what those people are “doing to address the inequities pervasive in St. Louis-area public schools.”

One of the protesters quoted by the newspaper who attended the meeting, DeRay McKesson, posted several tweets during the day.

The Post-Dispatch reports McKesson “works for the Minneapolis school system.”