Ivanka Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook visited an Idaho school to promote the benefits of Apple products for education (AAPL)

tim cook and ivanka trump idaha schools

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Ivanka Trump are visiting schools in Idaho on Tuesday, as part of a join White House initiative to further STEM education.
Local media captured video of both Cook and Trump arriving at Wilder Elementary, where they were greeted by a gathering of activists both in support of and in protest of their visit.
The Wilder school district was issued iPads and other technology back in 2016 through a grant from Apple as part of the ConnectED program, an Obama-era initatives.

A small town in Idaho with under 2,000 residents saw two high-profile visitors Tuesday at its elementary school: Apple CEO Tim Cook and Ivanka Trump.

The pair — a tech mogul and the daughter of the US President — travelled to a school district in Wilder, Idaho as part of a White House initiative centered on STEM education. The Trump administration and Apple first came together last year to partner on the effort.

Great being with @Tim_Cook in Wilder, ID today and meeting so many exemplary students, teachers and administrators. @Apple’s public-private partnership illustrates the power + potential of #Tech to revolutionize education and prepare America’s students for success! pic.twitter.com/AmjuxvOsl1
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 27, 2018

Apple CEO Tim Cook visiting with Wilder Elementary students in Idaho pic.twitter.com/2i4QR3RnSM
— Cynthia Sewell (@CynthiaSewell) November 27, 2018

Videos taken by media on scene showed Cook and Trump arriving at the school Tuesday.

Here's video of @IvankaTrump's arrival at Wilder Elementary. She and Apple CEO Tim Cook are visiting with students now. pic.twitter.com/vK0yIPDo76
— KBOI 2News (@KBOITV) November 27, 2018

Bad video, but that’s @tim_cook arriving at Wilder Elementary, with protests in the background. pic.twitter.com/Jei7BAZpXv
— Nicole Foy (@nicoleMfoy) November 27, 2018

Cook and Trump's field trip to the school was accompanied by other visitors: protestors. While there were some (including those from ACLU Idaho) who showed up to protest Trump administration immigration policies, there was also a group of Wilder district students who walked out of school to protest the technology-led education program for its failure to actually further education.

The high school students featured in these photos claim they had to run out of the schools before the doors were locked. pic.twitter.com/Php8ldLgPD
— Nicole Foy (@nicoleMfoy) November 27, 2018

Things are getting a little tense out here in #Wilder. @EmLoweJourno said after a @PoderofID chant in Spanish, some of the Trump supporters (now sporting the #MAGA hats) shouted “Go back to your country!”

Later, someone yelled back, “No tacos for you.”
— Nicole Foy (@nicoleMfoy) November 27, 2018

News of the joint visit was first reported Monday night by the Idaho Statesman, and was confirmed in a tweet from Ivanka Trump early Tuesday morning.

According to a White House statement to the media, the visit to Idaho is part of Trump's work on "ongoing workforce development and STEM initiatives." Her efforts featured a trip in March to a job training and science facility in Iowa, a visit she said was spurred by a suggestion from Cook.

In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Ivanka Trump said the pair would use the visit to examine "firsthand" how technology, specifically Apple products, was being used to further student education. This school district is unique in its technology use — iPads, MacBooks, and Apple TVs have been found in every classroom since 2016.

The presence of Apple technology in the Wilder school district, where over 90 percent of students are eligible for free lunch, is thanks to a grant from the teach giant. Apple pledged $100 million back in 2014 to equip "undeserved schools" in the U.S. with technology that could further their educational experience, and the Wilder school district was one of the first places to be named as a beneficiary.

Apple launched this program, however, as part of a bigger ConnectED initiative that was actually started by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

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