Bronx students' U.S. Capitol tour was canceled by government shutdown — then AOC stepped in

Eighth graders from Zeta Charter Schools in the Bronx were scheduled to tour the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday morning when the federal government shut down, placing their tour guide on furlough and leaving the disappointed students with no way to get into the building - but the group soon got an unforgettable civics lesson when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered to step in as a replacement tour guide.

- By MICHAEL ELSEN-ROONEY

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes eighth graders from Zeta Charter Schools on impromptu tour of U.S. Capitol building. (Zeta Charter Schools via Chalkbeat New York)

(Zeta Charter Schools via Chalkbeat New York)

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents swaths of Queens and the Bronx where some Zeta students live, had already planned to greet the group on their tour. When she found out the tour was canceled, she decided to get the students into the building the only way she could: by personally escorting them.

"It was a totally different direction than we thought the day would go," said Dan Rojas, school manager and one of the chaperones. "We knew that what we had planned was not going to happen in the way that we had planned it many months ago. It turned very, very quickly into, actually, a much better experience."