Please share why you decided to run for the HSD Board of Education.
I’ve been on the BOE for the past year and feel like I’ve been able to make some meaningful contributions – but it’s a steep learning curve and I’m just getting started. I’d like to keep contributing.
On a personal level, my mother was the president of the Board of Education in the town where I grew up. I saw the amazing impact she had on so many people, and I’d love to be able to have that type of positive effect.
Do you support the district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and continued compliance with NJ state laws on diversity and inclusion instruction such as the NJ Diversity & Inclusion Law, New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education Curriculum and New Jersey Amistad Commission Education Curriculum and C.18A:35-4.35?
100% support these initiatives. I’d also say that our new curriculum coordinators (Katy Roussos and Matt DiDonato) are creating more formal curriculum maps that incorporate these diversity initiatives in a way that makes it easier for teachers to utilize and for parents to understand.
When kids don’t feel welcome, they shut down. When they feel accepted, they thrive.
Do you support curricular representation of LGBTQ+ perspectives, families, and history in the same age-appropriate and respectful manner that the curriculum represents cisgender and heterosexual perspectives, families, and history? We ask that you sign Unite Against Book Ban’s candidate pledge.
100% support this. Our schools need to be safe and accepting; that’s job #1 for kids’ mental health and their ability to receive an education.
100% against banning books. Just proudly signed the pledge.
Do you support our district’s continued compliance with all New Jersey Student Learning Standards, including the comprehensive health education standards?
I do. When kids are physically and mentally healthy, they’re that much more equipped to succeed beyond Haddonfield schools.
Do you support the district’s focus on Social Emotional Learning?
100% support. Simple actions like morning meetings and class charters are big steps towards creating an environment where kids feel welcome and accepted. That is critical to their ability to receive an education and be the best possible version of themselves.
Is there anything else would you like voters to know about you?
Serving on the board of education this past year has been one of the great privileges of my life. So many people came together to make that happen, and I'll never forget all of that support. I take this job very seriously and I hope people will see fit to re-elect me.