COURT HOUSE – Attendance at local school board meetings has been larger than usual since the Covid pandemic. Contentious topics debated have ranged from school closures and mandating the masking of students, to book bans and the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT).
However, the new state guidelines for Health and PE curriculum have caused some of the greatest concern for parents across New Jersey.
An interest in school board meetings, and in board members’ decisions, has spiked. This trend has led to a new wave of candidates hoping to get elected to a seat on their local school board.
Some local voters commented on what they are looking for in a candidate.
While some answered that they want members on the school board to listen to them more, others are focused on greater insight into what their child is learning in school. And they want schools to focus on learning the basic subjects and not on political and social issues.
In summary, parents want a voice in their child’s education.
Parental Rights Movement
Local parents and school communities are impassioned over several controversies. Groups like Arise NJ and Moms for Liberty are gaining attention and rapidly growing with new members.
School board elections usually have a low turnout and are supposed to be nonpartisan. But the term “parental rights” has increasingly been used by local families and politicians who are unhappy with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s handling of school closures, vaccination mandates and shutdowns.
Many parents also feel that the Murphy administration is overstepping and “indoctrinating” children with liberal ideas. This has come to the fore with the new Comprehensive Health and Physical Educations standards; many feel they’re inappropriate for young children.
Sen. Michael Testa (R-1) has introduced legislation (S2385) reaffirming parental rights and amending current law to prevent schools from teaching some controversial topics in grades K-8.
Some governors, like Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin and Florida’s Ron Desantis, have run successful campaigns on their advocacy for parental rights.
Local Candidates
The Herald contacted 64 local candidates running for a school board seat, and asked them to respond to two major questions: “Why are you running for the Board of Education?” and “Do you support the new state standards for sex education?”
Some 29 candidates, mostly in contested races, responded with their views.
Some of the candidates have slogans, like Lauren Cox, Lower Elementary, who promotes her “Conservative Christian Mother” campaign.
“I find these standards extremely disturbing,” Cox stated. She notes that she was inspired to run because of her children.
That was a common theme across the responses. Most candidates stated that they were running for their child’s future and wanted the best education possible for the children in their community.
Robin Shaffer, running in Ocean City, has the slogan “Putting Families First.”
In answering the Herald’s questions, Shaffer said, “if you elect me, I will work to restore trust through transparency, accountability, decency and common sense. I will always put families first.”
“Education Like Ours” is the slogan for Jason Felsing who is running for Lower Elementary’s school board.
“As an alumni of the LTES and LCMR school districts, I am hoping we can continue the history of providing a safe, caring and educationally sound learning experience for our kids, like I had in my time as a local student,” Felsing explained.
A New Generation of Leadership
Some candidates say that new leadership needs to step up. Christopher Ingersoll in Middle Township explained, “I am running because it is time to bring a new generation of leadership to the board. The school board needs to do a better job in understanding parents’ concerns, and answer any and all questions that might arise.”
LuAnne Shaw, in Dennis Township, seemed excited to run for a school board seat.
She noted, “I think we need more parents with kids in school contributing to the board. I want to bring some of my vision to Dennis Township.”
All of the respondents agreed that they want what’s best for children. Not all have the same vision of how to accomplish that. Leonard Bernstein in Wildwood Crest states, “There is no more noble and important way to serve our community than to be a school board member.”
Many of the candidates argued that decisions at school board meetings should be based on the best interest of all students and that all members must “uphold and enforce all laws, rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, and court orders pertaining to schools.”
That line comes straight from the mandated New Jersey’s Code of Ethics for School Board Members.
Statewide, there are over 600 school districts with 1.3 million students enrolled.
The fight for control of boards of education will continue to be contentious ahead of November.
Do you plan to cast your vote for a new school board member Nov. 8? Visit our interview page to read about what your candidates will do if elected.
