Culture wars + regular issues at Crane candidates night
Photo by Dids
“Culture war” issues joined regular school concerns at a “Meet the Candidates “Night for Ichabod Crane Central School Districts.
Hosted and facilitated by the seniors of the high school’s Participatory Government classes, the event featured six of the seven candidates for school board. (One was ill, but her statements were read by the moderators.)
All candidates voiced their commitment to building on the accomplishments of the current board and their commitment to serving the community.
Candidates Matthew Nelson and Elizabeth Phillips are current board members. They spoke to their work on the board and their desire to continue serving in their roles and continue their progress.
Candidate Bill Schneider highlighted his experience in school administration and his continued involvement in education, even in retirement.
Candidate Jeff Antalek spoke to his unique skill set gained through experience in the private sector and years spent evaluating the academic skills of young engineers seeking employment.
Candidate Pat Schuler has a background as an educational psychologist and focused her statement remarks on the goals of gaining experience, expertise and compassion through education.
Candidates Meghan Lafferty-Brown and Thomas Driscoll, running under the banner of "Families for Ichabod Crane," represented a more conservative viewpoint. Lafferty-Brown stressed her involvement attending BOE meetings to voice concerns regarding issues such as Covid-19 health policies, vaccination protocols for athletics, and early detection of learning disabilities within the student body. She said that every parent should feel comfortable being engaged with the district and the school board, and encouraged all parents to voice their concerns and challenge the board when necessary.
Driscoll would like to join the school board as an advocate for "critical and objective thinking." He stated his preference for more diversity in the representation of community views on the board. As part of his closing statement, Driscoll voiced his objection to the current board endorsing the recent formation of two student clubs, the "No Place for Hate Club" and the "Pride Club". He said that social agendas and political ideology are being prioritized and pushed into school districts due to governmental overreach. He also questioned the effectiveness of the district's Covid-19 mask policy.
The full video of the "Meet the Candidates Night" can be viewed at https://youtu.be/R-qTPrPR4C0