With Election 2022 approaching, more thoughts on the Carroll County Board of Education race | READER COMMENTARY – Baltimore Sun

Yes, the well-being of our students and our rights as parents are at stake this November, but not in the way that some Carroll County Board of Education candidates are peddling.

As a mother and an expert in pediatric health care, witnessing the rise of misinformation being spread by the politically motivated and divisive BMW slate of candidates Tara Battaglia, Jim Miller, and Steve Whisler while pretending to be “protecting our children,” is both upsetting and alarming, so I have addressed the major issues.

COVID-19 vaccines are not on the ballot. If vaccination requirements to attend public school were to be put in place, it was would be done so by state, not county, legislation, per state code. No one running for BOE has said they will pursue a change to state regulations. Even in progressive counties, to date, no Maryland BOE has petitioned for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for student attendance.

Critical race theory is not taking over our schools. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a simple notion that we unintentionally treat others differently and have different needs. As a licensed medical provider in Maryland, I must attend unconscious bias training — that’s DEI. The treatments I prescribe are individualized and different for each patient/situation — that’s DEI. Including DEI makes CCPS graduates more college and career ready, which should be the goal of any BOE member.

Being LGBTQ+ is not contagious, and discussions will not cause harm, but inclusion can prevent suicide. The Battaglia-Miller-Whisler ticket claims to be anti-bullying yet fails to acknowledge their own bullying rhetoric on this issue.

Our former student representative Devanshi Mistry stated it well: “Our LGBTQ students don’t trust the board right now. They don’t trust you to make the best decision for them.” Students cannot learn when they do not feel safe, welcome, and loved. In my years of practice, I have never seen a child harmed from learning that boys can like boys, but I have seen suicidal teenagers who felt they were better off dead than gay.

BMW claims that our rights as parents or of local control are being threatened yet they have made ties with national organizations pushing book bans. Advanced Placement courses require use of recommended texts, so bans could lead to removal of these from CCPS, which would impact school rankings, college readiness, and college admission acceptance. Bans remove parent rights and can have significant impacts on the future success of all students. Regarding the Family Life Curriculum, parents have always been able to opt-out if they felt they were not appropriate. Instead of acknowledging this already existing parent choice, we’ve wasted countless BOE meetings creating a third alternative option to waste classroom instruction time.

The “Parents First” notion is both harmful to students and insulting to teachers. Parents and teachers should be a team. Parents know their children best, but some kids are unintentionally harmed due to their parents making medical decisions on their own. Parents should not be micromanaging and dictating instructions, ignoring the teacher’s years of education and practice, and putting an increased time burden that takes away from instruction to all students worsening learning loss.

It’s no surprise that the Carroll County Educators Association, Maryland State Educators Association, and the majority of CCPS teachers instead endorse Pat Dorsey, Tom Scanlan, and Amanda Jozkowski. Team PTA is focused on improving our schools and helping students become successful adults, not on passing blame, blocking and silencing constituents, and partisan attacks.

This November, ignore the distractions and misinformation. Trust in our teachers and pediatric experts who have dedicated their careers to the well-being of our children, and want to work alongside parents as a team. Join me in voting for Patricia Dorsey, Tom Scanlan, and Amanda Jozkowski for Carroll County Board of Education.

Dr. Jessica Dean Murphy, Eldersburg

Murphy is a nursing educator at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

As a mother who raised four children, I know education is important to prepare our kids for the challenges they face in the future by focusing on providing them the best education possible. As your delegate in Annapolis, I fought to provide the children in Carroll and across Maryland the tools to equip them to compete and succeed, whether it be in college or in a technical career by introducing legislation to give flexibility on prevailing wage to allow expansion of the Career and Tech Center and to allow computer science and construction/trade courses to count toward graduation requirements. The teachers’ union and the State Department of Education has fought this common-sense approach of equipping our children with marketable skills to enable them to be successful working adults tooth and nail.

The Democrats and the teachers’ union have other ideas, such as ramming through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to spend $3.8 billion of your tax dollars over the next decade without a way to grade success or failure. Meanwhile, they used COVID as an excuse to usurp local control and dictate school shutdowns in favor of virtual for our kids, and then masked them up when schools finally reopened.

Their heavy-handed approach was a colossal failure that will set back student achievement for an entire generation. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, the national report card, is for 2022, and the Democrats and the teachers’ union earn a grade of “F.” Only 31% of fourth graders in Maryland tested proficient in math and reading, and scored 37% in science. Maryland eighth graders scored a dismal 25% proficiency in math, 33% in reading and 36% in science.

I will continue to fight for our children in Annapolis, but I need your help here at home. Please join me in voting for a team of common-sense conservative Republicans for our local Board of Education — Tara Battaglia, Jim Miller and Steve Whisler, or “BMW.” I know BMW will stand for the rights of parents, local control, and focus on fundamentals and student achievement to help our students be prepared for the future without pushing political indoctrination. You may join me in casting your vote for BMW on Tuesday, Nov. 8. If you vote by mail, be sure to mail your ballot or drop it off by Nov. 8.

April Rose, Westminster

Rose is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates

As I sat in the audience at a recent forum and listened to each candidate for the Board of Education respond to a question concerning the propriety of political endorsements in the nonpartisan race, one candidate’s response stood out: A major benchmark for values is party affiliation. This candidate suggests the mere fact you may be registered to one party or another (or no party), others know your values. It was then I knew I had to lend my voice to the discussion.

I am a lifelong citizen of Carroll County. I graduated from Westminster High School, continued to college, and then to law school. My wife is a lifelong citizen of Carroll County. Our three children graduated from Carroll County Public Schools, and each is a college graduate. I am a Republican and have been for decades.

While my story may sound like your story — that of a Carroll Countian proud of his Carroll County heritage — there is a slight twist to my story. I am African American and the elder son of Dr. Patricia A. Dorsey, a candidate seeking reelection to the Board of Education.

Contrary to the thought that one’s party affiliation is a major benchmark for one’s values, I suggest the opposite is true. I am blessed to have been raised in an environment built upon a foundation of faith whose parents instilled commitment to family, fostered critical thinking, and stressed the importance of education. My mother’s party affiliation was not the benchmark of values she taught in her home, but were values passed down from generation to generation. Because of those values I live a life free of labels that would dictate who I must support in this election.

Party affiliation is not a major benchmark of values. Regardless of your party affiliation, rest assured my mom will work beyond measure in serving your children, their teachers, and our school system. As she said in response to the question on the propriety of political endorsements in the nonpartisan race: No one speaks for her, and no single label defines her. Indeed, my mother’s work as a teacher, administrator, member of the Board of Education, and lifelong learner is truly the benchmark of values many see in her from afar, and I see firsthand, which is why I serve as Chair of her campaign.

Gregory A. Dorsey, Westminster

Dorsey is chair of Citizens for Patricia Ann Dorsey

I want to first start by thanking this community — the level of interest in the Board of Education race and enthusiasm for my campaign over the past 15 months have been incredibly affirming. I’d also like to take this final opportunity to correct a frequent misconception about my approach to participatory leadership. I have often stated I believe students should have a voice in decisions affecting their own education. I wrote in April of my admiration for former Student Representative on the Board Devanshi Mistry, and my support for the idea of voting rights for future SROBs.

Some have wondered whether students, who are still learning and developing, have the capacity to make appropriate decisions related to the school system. I would argue that even as adults we are all still learning. I am also confident that a student educated in our great school system, who actively volunteers for a leadership position and dedicates many hours preparing for and participating in the process, would do their best to make good decisions and work as part of a team with the rest of the board. Being proactive about getting involved demonstrates a level of commitment and knowledge about CCPS that not all community members share.

Giving students a say, whether through a formal position or as part of the collection of greater community stakeholders, does not mean that they would have the power or authority to make dramatic changes or “run the school system,” as my opponents have claimed. It simply means building relationships, including them in the conversation, and valuing their opinions as relevant and worthwhile.

There is strong evidence that student involvement in educational decision-making increases motivation for learning, decreases negative behaviors, and enhances academic performance. Students can help us better understand what they need, and partnering with them to solve problems promotes critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills.

I am not afraid of giving students more of a voice, and in fact think that this would make for a stronger and more representative body. I trust that CCPS has prepared them well, and would be honored to serve alongside a student in my role as a board member, or by engaging with them more informally. Being willing to listen, learn from, and respond effectively to all constituents is what everyone in Carroll County should want from school system leadership.

Amanda Jozkowski, Eldersburg

Jozkowski is a candidate for the Carroll County Board of Education

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