The following is the second in a five-part series, in which candidates for seats on the North Penn school board answer questions from the AAUW Lansdale Branch. For more information and their full voter guide visit www.aauwlansdale.org
Question two: Culture conflicts have dominated the news regarding public education. Many of our LGBTQ+ students do not feel safe and accepted. What specifically would you do to make these students feel safe and welcomed in NPSD and create an accepting environment?
Elisha Gee: I advocate for a continued effort to create a welcome and accepting environment for ALL students through intentional support of our LGBTQ+ students. Embracing our students with encouragement and understanding is central to supporting our LBTQ+ students. Nationally and locally, culture conflicts have impacted LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students. We must ensure that there are intentional opportunities for affinity groups, create a safe space for shared pronouns, embrace diverse intersectional experiences, and most of all listen to the needs of our LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students and respond to their needs. All students deserve to have a sense of belongingness and that is what our LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students need in order to be able to feel safe and welcomed in their school community
Tim MacBain: Our educational community must ensure that our schools are places where all students know that they belong, that they are safe, and that the path to whatever future they want to make for themselves can start here in North Penn. To enact policies that make students feel unwelcome in their classrooms or like an outsider in their own community completely ignores this very basic requirement. I’ve been an educator of high school juniors for over 20 years here in Montgomery County, and am proud that my LGBTQ+ students know they are safe and are free to display their academic talents and take advantage of our school’s opportunities to brighten their futures. Here in North Penn, we continue to support policies that accept all students for who they are and provide them with educational opportunities to help them find their path academically and professionally. This includes not only symbolic support, like raising the Pride flag, but also taking meaningful steps to reach out and understand students’ and families’ needs through open invitations to community forums, increased student and family voices in decision-making processes, and the use of substantive climate surveys to increase our understanding of our community’s needs.
Juliane Ramic: Any effort to support our LGBTQIA+ students in feeling safe and welcome at North Penn are the same efforts we can and should employ to ensure that all students feel safe and welcome.
Every student deserves a school where they are not only safe, but welcomed, valued, and appreciated for who they are and who they are working to become.
Schools are and should be safe places for students to explore the world, learn new subjects, and explore their sense of self and identity. To help establish this as our school district culture, we must be willing to learn and grow ourselves. As our student’s needs, desires, and interests change, so should what we are able to share and offer our students in return.
As a School Board Director, I will work to listen to our students and do so in a manner to embrace my own sense of humility as I have much to learn from them and their lived experiences.
Kunbi Rudnick: Creating a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students in the NPSD requires an approach that prioritizes inclusivity and empathy. To address culture conflicts and foster acceptance, I would implement the following strategies:
Safe Spaces: Encourage safe spaces within schools where LGBTQ+ students can find support, counseling, and peer interaction. These spaces promote a sense of belonging and emotional well-being.
Anti-Bullying Programs:
1. Implement comprehensive anti-bullying programs that explicitly address LGBTQ+ bullying.
2. In schools where these already exist, ensure adherence.
3. Raise awareness about the harmful effects of discrimination and empower students to stand up against it.
Support Groups: Establish/support student-led LGBTQ+ support groups to provide a platform for open dialogue, shared experiences, and mutual support. These groups create a sense of community and validation.
Parental Involvement: Engage parents and guardians through workshops and discussions on LGBTQ+ issues. Building understanding at home contributes to a more accepting environment for students.
Staff Training: Leverage existing staff training sessions to upskill staff on LGBTQ+ sensitivity and inclusivity. This ensures that educators and administrators are equipped to address potential issues and provide appropriate support.
By implementing strategies such as these, the NPSD can cultivate an environment where LGBTQ+ students feel respected, supported, and safe, fostering their overall well-being and educational success.
Cathy Wesley: It deeply affects me that our LGBTQ+ students may not feel safe or accepted. I will continue to participate at any meetings, gatherings and celebrations to demonstrate my commitment to this group of students. I will support all efforts to create or enhance district processes, procedures to help with safety and inclusion.
Vince Altieri: Feeling safe is key to building a successful learning environment. Born and raised in the melting pot of Jersey City, I’ve seen firsthand that the foundation of safety starts with RESPECT and ACCOUNTABILITY of one’s actions. Respect starts with the Parent and should then be fostered by a robust social and learning environment at the school level. Candidly, to address how any specific group should be made to feel safe and accepted is disingenuous and divides. As a future school board director, I will prioritize a safe and secure learning environment for ALL students, teachers, staff and administrators.
Diana Blystone: All children should feel safe regardless of how they identify or what they believe. Working together for the wellbeing of all children is only possible when students, parents, and staff are all involved.
Clear discipline policies consistently executed across all levels to foster boundaries and expectations.
Liz Vazquez: Every student in our district should feel safe and accepted. Understanding that our differences help build character. Having a program like peer mediation; can serve as a safe space when resolving conflicts amongst peers.
This is the second in a five-part series presented in partnership between the AAUW Lansdale Branch and The Reporter; for more information visit www.aauwlansdale.org
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
See also:
North Penn School Board Candidates Answer Questions from AAUW Lansdale Branch: Part 1
