Candidates for Ozark school board were asked about concealing and a bill that state representative Jamie Gragg had introduced that would involve teachers who support transgender individuals who have undergone a” cultural transition” to register as sex criminals at the end of a conference this week.
Four candidates vying for two empty seats on April 2 took becomes responding to a number of organized questions by Ozark PTA leaders and handed out to the candidates in improve. These questions were asked by audience members.
Their actions showed Patty Quessenbury, the singular president, and individuals James Griffin, Dustin Kirkman and Jason Shaffer were mostly on the same page in important areas.
They all backed responsible and effective saving, efforts to improve student learning, initiatives that offered career exploration opportunities or living skills, and providing the pay and working conditions required to attract and keep top-notch teachers and staff.
In an introductory speech, Quessenbury, first elected 27 ages ago, and Kirkman, a former manager, gave example illustrating their strong level of knowledge and expertise in the area. Quessenbury, who visits schools to read novels, said she has spent more than 100 hours in institutions this past year.
Kirkman, whose family is an trainer, said he individuals with a local volunteer to group trip meals for learners.
Griffin described how he participants at university and interacts with children as a volunteer instructor, along with Kirkman, who already has kids enrolled. He is also a member of his religion and nonprofit organization. He described himself as, above all else, a follower of Jesus Christ.
Bass, who previously served on the Ozark Board of Aldermen, said he was motivated to work in part due to issues about investing. He acknowledged that his brother had not spent much time in the classroom since he graduated, but he said he would get more concerned if elected.
He added that he had inquiries after previous encounters with university administrators.
How prospects feel about the board’s function.
Each member was asked how they felt about the board’s function during the contrived questions.
Quessenbury, who is retired from Kraft Foods, said as a decision- manufacturer elected by voters, candidates has direct and reflect the community.
” We need to gain that confidence to do what is best for our kids”, she said. We must “build the people’s assurance with our decisions,” he says, “in order for Ozark schools to be one of the best regions in the area.” And I vow to do that”.
Bass claimed that the board’s function and purpose is to provide “oversight of college administration” and the services they offer to children.
He claimed that the best way to accomplish that is to hold” completely transparent conferences” about the district’s and board’s operations.
The more details the government has, he said, the more confident they are in their perceptions of the work being done and the performance being provided. When something is n’t answered in the light of public opinion, queries and suspicions are raised.
Griffin, a resigned chief from the U. S. Navy, said the committee had been “directly guilty” to the public and be the “go- between” for the public and school leaders.
He argued that the board must establish policy, establish strategic plans and vision, and establish a budget. Superintendent Lori Wilson also needs to have oversight.
Griffin, who also owns a business, said the work must be centered on the” core fundamentals of family values and financial responsibility”.
Kirkman, a business owner and former educator, said the board must make informed decisions to represent staff, teachers, students and taxpayers.
” As a board, you only have one employee and it’s your superintendent”, he said. You assist in evaluating and hiring that individual and ensuring that they are performing their duties in the classroom.
He continued,” We trust the members of the school board to look after our children, and that has to be our top priority.”
No candidates back a reversal of masking.
Candidates were asked unscripted questions and one question about masking at the end of Tuesday’s forum at the Ozark Innovation Center. Many districts followed the advice of local, state, and national health officials and required masking for a while after the pandemic started four years ago.
Griffin said he was living in Washington, D. C. when COVID- 19 became a global issue, shutting down schools, and they did not reopen for in- person learning for more than a year.
He claimed that the masks caused children” a sense of fear and isolation” and did more harm than good.
Shaffer stated that while serving on the Ozark Board of Aldermen, he was vehemently opposed to having to wear masks.
” I do find it odd that now people who were forcing masks on us to look back and say’ We did n’t know,'” he said, arguing they did not help. ” Well, half of us knew and stood up and said ‘ no.'”
He added:” For me, it was an issue of liberty. It was n’t about safety. You simply ca n’t tell a city that wearing something might be helpful. What we do is up to us. What we want our children to do is up to us.
Masking is another “hot-button topic,” Kirkman said, which he hopes wo n’t come up again.
” The difficulty about science is a lot of times, you know after the fact, right? You kind of have to figure out what is happening, he said.
As a former teacher and coach, he questioned the effectiveness of masking, especially for young children. They” sip and touch the mask and then they touch everything around them.” So, in some ways, you’ve just made it worse… You’ve made a Petri dish out of the entire classroom”.
He claimed that despite not being a “mask person,” he felt sympathy for city and school officials who had to make difficult decisions as a result of a terrifying, ever-evolving pandemic.
” Are you a fan of the mask? Absolutely not. Is it a choice the administration made at the time because they believed it to be the best option for your school? I believe so. Do I want it? No”, he said.
A lawmaker’s proposal for Ozark has a mixed response.
The candidates were also asked about House Bill 2885 that state Rep. Jamie Gragg, a Republican who lives in Ozark and represents Christian County, has filed.
According to Gragg, those who” support a child under the age of 18 regarding social transition” should be charged with a felony and must register as a sex offender if found guilty.
Gragg described” social transition” in the bill as a” the process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expression such as clothing or haircuts that match the individual’s gender identity and not the gender assumed by the individual’s sex at birth”.
The bill received a second reading but has not yet been assigned to a committee, a required step for proceeding.
” I support Jamie Gragg. He is a good representative”, Shaffer said before adding:” He is tackling a difficult issue. He is conducting it in the manner that he believes is best. Other than that I believe Representative Gragg, it’s difficult to say in any other way regarding this complex issue.
All four candidates, including Shaffer, said parents should be involved in issues related to gender identity and social transition.
” I know that sometimes teachers believe they know better than the parent, and maybe they do, but we still have to draw a line sometimes,” said Shaffer.” I believe the parent is in a better position to make those decisions for a minor child than the well-intentioned teacher,” he said.
According to Griffin, teachers spend up to 40 hours a week with students and, in some cases, may have a more positive relationship with a child than the parent. ” But that does n’t mean they can replace the parent”.
He said,” Some of these issues should obviously be handled outside the school system,” suggesting that parents or churches could play a role in place.
” When the teacher takes on the role, as a parent, that can cause some difficulties. I’d like to counsel teachers to concentrate on the academic piece and steer clear of some of these social issues.
Kirkman once said, “you have this special place in your heart for the well-being of kids.
The issue is “how do you support a child and where is the line, which is a major thing,” he said.
Kirkman added:” The educator’s job is to be there to educate and when you get into something of this magnitude, for lack of a better way to put it, I think that is a parent thing”.
Quessenbury acknowledged that Gragg’s proposal, particularly the requirement that teachers who have been found guilty must register as sex offenders, caught her off guard.
I am not one to evaluate students ‘ choices in their lives or what they do. That is not for me to judge, as a Christian, that is God’s choice”, she said. I hold the view that a child needs to feel secure in the school district, and that they should do so if a teacher or counselor wants to support and assist them. I do n’t believe they should be trying to be too obnoxious as teachers to encourage anything.
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Quessenbury, who is vying for her 10th term on the board, said big decisions need to rest with parents. Concerning the bill, she questioned whether it overstepped the authority of districts to establish policy.
” We want more and more to be able to run our schools on local control”, she said. ” When the government tries to step in at the state level, the federal level, trying to bring all these issues, it’s like trying to take away from the local control”.
For the News- Leader, Claudette Riley covers education. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news- leader.com.
