11/07/2024
Unfortunately, Rob Randall and I were not successful in this election. We worked hard to convince the town that our students deserve school committee members who are experienced in education, credentialed, devoid of special interests, and who will serve the needs of all students. The town has chosen to go a different direction. We are both grateful to all those who supported our campaign. I want to especially thank Hannah, Cameron, and Jillian who provided so much support.
It has been a true honor and privilege to serve Smithfield Public Schools! The makeup of the school committee may change from election to election but what remains a constant is our incredible staff who go above and beyond to help our students achieve success and feel included. They have demonstrated incredible adaptiveness, innovation, and resilience during the past four years.
Our pre-K-12 students are also amazing! It has been wonderful to see them grow through the engaging programs offered by each school. There are many things I am proud of as I reflect on my term.
✅I am proud to have always put the needs of our students first
✅I am proud to have helped keep our schools open during an unprecedented pandemic
✅I am proud to have been open-minded and responsive to community members regardless of their position on issues
✅I am proud to have advocated for increased funding, capital improvements, and staffing
✅I am proud to have treated our staff as experienced professionals
✅I am proud to have always promoted unity over division; inclusion over exclusion.
✅I am proud to have always made research-based decisions
✅I am most proud to have defended our most vulnerable students when their very existence was marginalized and attacked.
I have always been inspired by a quote from my hero John Lewis. “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.”
It was my honor to resist my opponent's attempt to deny students access to carefully vetted age-appropriate books from our school libraries that represented marginalized groups such as women and people of color. Intellectual curiosity and self-discovery are the cornerstones of education. It is essential that all students can access resources in our libraries that reflect who they are.
It was my greatest honor to have successfully resisted changes to our transgender policy that would have discriminated against students based on their gender identity and would have also required the staff to out grades 6-12 students who revealed their sexuality. The advice of experts, reputable research, and best practices were continually dismissed during this months-long attempt at revising the policy. The worst part of the experience was the public discussion that perpetuated inaccurate information and hateful speech that denigrated our students treating them like second-class citizens.
I am concerned with the direction the school committee may take our district based on their previous rhetoric. I hope that the new school committee sets aside political ideology and stays true to its oath to promote the success of ALL students regardless of gender, gender identity, sexuality, race, religion, nationality, or disability. All students deserve to feel safe and included in our schools.
