Do you support School Resource Officers (SRO) and Constables in schools? Please explain your position.
Yes, I support School Resource Officers and Constables in schools. To help prevent or detect crime while ensuring the safety of students and staff is critical. This will allow everyone in the school to focus on learning without a thought of fear.
Delaware Department of Education data shows that Black, Brown and Special Education students in Red Clay School District are disproportionately represented in discipline referrals, suspensions and arrest. What other steps, beyond existing policies, should the school district take to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all students?
Any disciplinary action should be judged on behavior, actions, and character exemplified by the student. The students physical skin color as the question refers to black or brown should have no effect as to whether disciplinary action should take place. A student and person for that matter should only be judged by their character, doing anything else would be racist. Therefore this question is either accusing the staff and administrators within the school as racist, or the question is asking how I would help create equitable disciplinary referrals amongst all races/ethnicities regardless of a students action and character. Either option this question presumes is racist and shameful. To use your own words within this questionnaire, it’s implicitly biased at the very least.
What does equity mean to you?
To be clear, equity has a definition. Therefore it’s simply what does the word mean, it has nothing to do with me because I do not redefine words. Equity is defined by dictionary.com as “the policy or practice of accounting for the differences in each individual’s starting point when pursuing a goal or achievement, and working to remove barriers to equal opportunity, as by providing support based on the unique needs of individual students or employees”. To add my own opinion for voters, attempting to create equitable outcomes regardless of prior achievements is morally wrong and racist. We need to strive for equal opportunity while being fair and impartial. Redistributing resources to try and create equitable outcomes is fundamentally flawed.
How would you work to improve equity in funding and resources allocations in the District?
Equity in funding and resources refers to departments, sports, groups, and staff as having the same amount of funding regardless of cost, size, and return on investment. Striving to “improve” this would not only be foolish financially, but also unrealistic and illogical. I would certainly strive to improve each department, sport, group, and members of staff through fundraising and budgeting. However equitable funding is simply a redistribution of earned finances to ensure everyone has the same amount by ignoring all outside variables and factors which I do not support.
Do you believe implicit bias impacts students and staff? If so, how will you work to lessen the negative effects of implicit bias within the school district? How will you work to address implicit bias within yourself?
As stated in a previous question, a person should be judged based on their character and actions, anything else would be implicitly biased. The fact that every question on this questionnaire refers to “implicit bias” or “equity” all while 60% of students by 8th grade are failing to meet state standards in reading, writing, and math in my school district (Woodbridge) is embarrassing even for the ACLU standards. I want our students to excel in school and become self accountable productive citizens in a career of their choice. I am concerned about students learning the basics of education, not on how they could possibly be victims of society.
Describe how you would ensure quality education for a diverse student population: i.e. the gifted and talented, the “average” student, students with special educational needs, students with different abilities, English Language learners, low-income students and those with cultural differences.
A breakdown of classes offering AP (advanced placement), standard (or average to use your language), and special needs must remain in existence. I argue that homework needs to exist again not only for students to learn but to ensure their parents are involved with them learning! Homework creates accountability, time management, discipline, perseverance, and most importantly participation. I am certainly open to ideas on how to ensure quality education primarily from teachers. Afterall, teachers are devoted, caring, and passionate about helping students. Teachers’ ideas on this matter deserve the school boards attention and action.
Are there any other equity, racial justice, or funding goals not talked about above that you hope to accomplish in your term in office?
I believe questions 2-5 address equity and racial injustice thoroughly. If elected, I will serve on the school board as a fair and impartial member. I hope to echo and maximize the voice of parents in their kids education. Parental rights are undeniably the foundation to maintaining family values and healthy youth development. Having parental rights allows each household to raise their kids as they see best; that way schools can focus on core subjects that are critical to academic development instead of indoctrinating children in CRT, gender identity, and equity.
