Endorsements for the July 19 Primary Election

Every election cycle, I am asked by many friends, “Who are you voting for?” 

 

BOARD OF EDUCATION

 

Mostly, I am asked about the Montgomery County Board of Education contests, since I have been an activist in Montgomery County Public Schools matters since 1984.  I started as Co-President of the Rosemary Hills Primary Magnet Integration School PTA and later served as Public Affairs Director of the Gifted and Talented Association (a terrible name for what was often a very useful organization).  In this Century, I have been proponent of constructive policies on LGBTQ+ matters, first as Chair of the Board of Education’s Family Life and Human Development Committee and then as Metro DC PFLAG’s Chair and then Co-Chair for Maryland Advocacy.  In that latter role, I helped develop candidate questionnaires for BOE candidates on LGBTQ+ issues.

 

I have always been concerned that candidates who are anti-LGBTQ+ might seek to fly under the radar in the down-ballot Board of Education races, in which voter turnout is lower than in other contests.  That was very much the case in 2010, but we were able to bring that to light, and to defeat the “stealth candidate.”  See pp. 15-16 of this report.

 

The answers to this year’s Metro DC PFLAG questionnaire may be found at the following hyperlinks:

At-Large 

District 1 

District 3 

District 5 

 

After reviewing the questionnaire answers and attending virtual campaign forums, I have decided to vote for incumbents Karla Silvestre (At-Large), Scott Joftus (District 3), and Brenda Wolff (District 5), as well as for Grace Rivera Oven (District 1).  (Long-time District 1 member Judy Docca is retiring.) 

(NOTES: 

My endorsements are as an individual, not as a representative of Metro DC PFLAG.  

Although District candidates must live in that District, all Montgomery County voters may vote in all the contests.)

 

All the incumbents have excellent records on LGBTQ+ matters and have been responsible for the enormous progress made by MCPS in recent years.  With respect to other issues, I believe they have done well, including on matters that have not had obvious resolution – notably with respect to the Covid pandemic.  All of them will certainly stand up to the kind of attacks that we are seeing from right-wingers in other jurisdictions.  That the incumbent candidates are willing to stand for reelection speaks to their dedication and stamina.  The last couple of years had to have been hell for them. 

 

My review of her answers and my conversations with Ms. Rivera Oven convince me that she would be the best addition to the Board from District 1.

 

Candidates Valerie Coll, Domenic Giandomenico, Jay Guan, and Julie Yang gave very good answers, as well.  And from what I know of them, they all would make good members of the Board of Education.  It is encouraging that so many candidates understand the needs of the community on important LGBTQ+ matters.  Still, for me, at the end of the day, the experience of Ms. Silvestre, Ms. Rivera Oven, Dr. Joftus, Ms. Wolff warrant their election.

 

I can only assume that the three candidates who failed to respond to the Metro DC PFLAG questionnaire at all would have had answers that would have been an anathema to those who care about LGBTQ+ students and staff and their families.  I made every effort to enable them to respond.  Some other candidates provided answers that suggested some ambiguity. Hostility or ambiguity as to LGBTQ+ matters at this stage of the public discussions in Montgomery County are, for me, veto points.  All students must be protected, included, and made to feel welcome in our MCPS community.

OTHER CONTESTS

As a registered Democrat, living in Congressional District 8, Legislative District 14, and Council District 7, here is how I will be voting:

Governor:  Tom Perez

Attorney General:  Anthony Brown

Comptroller:  Brooke Lierman

Senate:  Chris Van Hollen

Congress:  Jamie Raskin

State Senate:  Craig Zucker

House of Delegates:  Anne Kaiser, Eric Luedtke, Pamela Queen

County Executive:  Marc Elrich

A prefatory note on the County Council contests: I am a long-time member of Jews United for Justice and I participated in most of JUFJ Campaign Fund (JUFJ C-4) interviews for the At-Large and District 7 candidates.  In so doing, I learned a lot about the candidates. (Tom Hucker did not file as a candidate for County Council until after the JUFJ C-4 process had closed.)  If anyone is interested, a list of the JUFJ C-4 endorsements may be found here. The JUFJ Campaign Fund did not make an endorsement for District 7.

I will be voting as follows:

County Council At-Large:  Evan Glass, Tom Hucker, Will Jawando, Lauri-Anne Sayles

As for the County Council District 7 race, some candidates declined to respond to the JUFJ C-4 questionnaire and to be interviewed.  That sent a signal to me that they likely were so far out of line with JUFJ's progressive values that I would not find them to be good choices.  I was particularly impressed with two of the candidates who were interviewed:  Dawn Luedtke and Ben Wiker.  In addition to the formal interview with the JUFJ C-4 Committee, I had follow-up one-on-one conversations with both of them. Each would bring different strengths to the Council.  

Ms. Luedtke, a Maryland State Assistant Attorney General, clearly knows a lot about local governance and has handled a number of important matters in outgoing AG Brian Frosh's office, including the training of police who are assigned as School Resource Officers.  She understands the challenges of such training, and is very committed to seeing that program work.  I differ with her as to whether the traditional SRO programs inevitably do more harm than good. But this is a matter over which reasonable people can differ, and her experience would be an asset to the Council. Her website is here.

Rev. Wiker is a newcomer to governmental matters.  But as pastor of a diverse upcounty church, he founded the Equity Center in Lake Forest Mall, which has worked to help those in need as a result of the pandemic.  In these efforts, he has learned how important county governmental support is -- and how difficult it can be to access that support.  In my conversations with him, I found him to be a sincere, open-minded, progressive person.  He does not have fully-formed views or experience on most governmental issues, but his experience and voice as a grass-roots, hands-on activist for those in need would be an asset to the Council.  We probably should not have a Council made up of 11 Ben Wiker, but it might be a very good idea to have at least one.  His website is here. 

I do not know whether Ben has been able to put together a strong enough campaign to make him a contender in this seven-candidate field.  So I am still undecided as between Ben and Dawn. I hope these short analyses will help others decide. 

Peter Franchot is not "Like a good neighbor"

 UPDATE, July 21:  Peter Franchot came out a distant third in the July 19 primary.  Good for Maryland Democratic Voters.  And good for us all.

It is certainly not uncommon for elected officials, running for election for higher office, to use their power of incumbency to burnish their candidacies.  Sometimes these efforts spill into a gray area of using public funds to advance a candidacy in ways that are arguably improper and violative of the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. 

But yesterday, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, who is now running for Governor, took this power to what may be a new low.   Every year as long as I can remember – and I have been a Maryland resident for most of the last 70 years – the State Comptroller’s Office publishes a list of Unclaimed Property, typically in a special large magazine-size publication in major newspapers. This is a ministerial act, not the product of policy initiatives by the incumbent.  This year, in what I think is unprecedented, Mr. Franchot’s photograph took up most of the cover page of the list found in the Washington Post.  

 

And not an official photo.  Rather it was an informal campaign-like picture of a knit-shirt-clad Franchot holding a landline phone to his ear, but smiling straight into the camera.  And the title at the top was NOT “Maryland’s Unclaimed Property List.”  

Instead, it read “Like a good neighbor, Franchot is there.”  Nice, albeit misleading, campaign advertisement.  But certainly inappropriate for an expenditure of our tax funds.  

In any event, "a good neighbor" would not conspire with the Governor to press a plan, in many ways held secret from the public, to create private toll lanes on major highways which would not ease traffic congestion, but would lead to bailouts of millions of tax dollars to a private Australian company. 

2020 Redux: Right wing candidate in Maryland Primary Flouts Well-Known Law on Posting of Campaign signs on public property and public rights of way.

 

Two years ago, a Board of Education Candidate with deep ties to the extreme right-wing (see here) plastered illegal campaign signs all over Montgomery County.  Briefly, campaign signs may not be placed on public rights of way or on private property without permission.  They certainly may not be placed on public land.  The Montgomery County Government eventually forced the candidate to remove the signs under threat of significant fines. See here.  

Now the campaign of Dan Cox, the Trump-endorsed candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, is engaging in the same sort of illegal activity.  This afternoon, I saw and documented such illegal signs in Olney.  Pictured here are signs heading north on Georgia Avenue from the intersection at Norbeck Road (on property that is not privately owned) (pictured above) and in the public medium strips at the intersections with Cherry Valley Road, King William Road, and across from the  Fire House (pictured below).

In 2020, this Guest Commentary in Maryland Matters noted the significance of this  flouting of the law:

"Anyone running for office in Montgomery County, even relative newcomers like Mr. Austin, should know that such postings are illegal.

"But there may be a deeper significance to Mr. Austin’s flouting of Montgomery County rules. He may be signaling his contempt for the political norms that have allowed Montgomery County to thrive as one of the most diverse counties in America.

"Using language that has been invoked since the 1950s to maintain segregation, Austin has led a campaign of lies and misinformation. In an attempt to block a much-needed study of Montgomery County’s school boundaries, he and his supporters have intimidated school officials, shut down a community meeting, and mocked and bullied high school students who object to the current boundaries as enforcers of racial and economic segregation.

"The question for county residents is whether they will see his tactics for what they are and reject his attempts to sow fear and division."

County residents did, in fact, reject those attempts.  The offending candidate received only 13% of the votes. See here.

Mr. Cox's offenses against large swaths of our communities include attacks on the validity of the 2020 presidential election, LGBTQ+ student rights,  and the teaching of facts about the legacy's of slavery, are legion.  As an attorney licensed in the State of Maryland, he surely knows that his campaign's actions are illegal.  His disregard for law is similar to that of his main supporter, Donald Trump.  We countenance such offenses at our peril.    

(Anyone seeing such signs elsewhere in Montgomery County should report them to Victor Salazar, Program Manager II, DPS – Zoning & Site Plan Enforcement, at Victor.Salazar@montgomerycountymd.gov and should file a complaint at https://permittingservices.montgomerycountymd.gov/dps/online/eComplaint.aspx)

)

 

High School Graduation 1965, Boomer Edition

 In 2015, I wrote a blog post on my commencement speech at my 1969 college graduation, as a way to look back on my 21 year old self. 

In this graduation season, I have been thinking about how 2022 high school student graduation speakers see our present and future through a different lens, forged by experience, than I did as a student speaker at my high school graduation in 1965.  Sadly, the other two speakers (and my good friends) Steve Goldberg and Gary Yudkoff are no longer with us.  Also sadly, I was so wrapped up in my own words, being a self-absorbed teenager, that I do not recall what they said.  Steve and Gary were both smarter and wiser than I.  I wish I had their speeches to look back upon.

The Great Gatsby and the Great Replacement Theory

 

Washington Post Book Editor Ron Charles published this piece in today's print edition of the Post.  I wonder whether those adopting the Tucker Carlson view of the world will urge reading The Great Gatsby, and make Tom Buchanan the hero of the story, or whether they will seek to have F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic banned because the protagonists have such contempt for Buchanan? Literature makes one think -- and that is what the Tucker Carlson elite does NOT want the masses to do.

But on a more serious note, it is indeed disturbing that the theories of who justly were mocked a century ago are threatening to take hold among enough people that that minority could rule over the majority, and destroy the Promise of America. 

Here is the piece:

In the wake of our latest mass shooting, in which Payton Gendron allegedly murdered 10 Black people in Buffalo, America has suddenly discovered “great replacement theory.” Or, worse, we’ve discovered that an alarming number of us share Gendron’s belief in it. According to an AP-NORC poll, “nearly half of Republicans agree to at least some extent with the idea that there’s a deliberate intent to ‘replace’ native-born Americans with immigrants” (story). 

Since the Buffalo massacre, conservatives like New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Fox News entertainer Tucker Carlson have been indignantly explaining why their fervent promotion of great replacement theory has nothing to do with great replacement theory. 

But efforts to find the source of this racist conspiracy are misleading. It didn't recently slither out from some neo-Nazi message board on the dark web. The claim that “legitimate” Americans are being systematically replaced by non-white immigrants has deep roots in U.S. political culture. In fact, while listening to Carlson rant against elites determined to “import an entirely new electorate from the Third World,” English majors may have heard echoes of a much earlier preppy racist: Tom Buchanan. 

Early in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, “The Great Gatsby,” we meet Tom at his grand mansion in East Egg. He’s agitated, as though he’s just finished watching an hour of Fox News:

“Civilization’s going to pieces,” Tom tells his startled guests. “I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by this man Goddard? . . . It’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be – will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.” 

It’s clear that Fitzgerald thinks Tom’s little learning is a dangerous thing. Daisy openly mocks him: “Tom’s getting very profound,” she sighs. “He reads deep books with long words in them.”

Tom barrels on: “It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.”

In her illuminating study “So We Read On: How ‘The Great Gatsby’ Came to Be and Why It Endures,” Maureen Corrigan explains that Fitzgerald is satirizing Lothrop Stoddard’s 1920 bestseller, “The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy” and a popular 1916 book that Stoddard relied on, “The Passing of the Great Race,” by Madison Grant.  

To read Stoddard’s book, as I did this week (you owe me), is to endure a racist screed of pseudoscience, faulty history and economic bunk designed to spur White people to resist dilution of their precious genetic purity. The content is dully disgusting, but what’s most alarming is the currency of the book’s panicked tone. Though written a century ago, this is essentially the Trump-Fox playbook: a xenophobic jeremiad gassed up with numbingly repetitive fear-mongering:

“We stand at a crisis – the supreme crisis of the ages,” Stoddard announces with his typically grandiose rhetoric. “Unless we set our house in order, the doom will sooner or later overtake us all.” 

“One fact should be clearly understood: if America is not true to her own race soul, she will inevitably lose it, and the brightest star that has appeared since Hellas” – Stoddard loves the slave-owning Greeks – “will fall like a meteor from the human sky, its brilliant radiance fading into the night.”

Daisy just rolled her eyes at such claptrap, and Nick was too polite to object. But here we are in 2022 comforting fresh victims of this vile paranoia. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Metro DC PFLAG Montgomery County, Maryland, Board of Education Candidate Questionnaires - 2022

In recent years, the Montgomery County Public Schools system (MCPS) has made great progress with respect to LGBTQ+ matters.  MCPS policy, of course, is set by the Montgomery County Board of Education.  

Four seats on the Board of Education are up for election this year. The Metro DC Chapter of  PFLAG sent a Questionnaire to all of the 2022 candidates.  The candidates' responses are hyperlinked:  At-Large, District 1, District 3, and District 5. 

Also, Metro DC PFLAG is a co-sponsor of a League of Women Voters Board of Education candidate forum, which will be held on Zoom on Wednesday evening, May 18, from 7pm to 8:30pm.  Registration may be done here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_QcHP4O5aQ_mJr3xGHOfSHw

NOTE:  In the July 19 primary election, the top two vote-getters move on to the general election in November. Voters may vote in all the contests, regardless of where in the County they live.

Metro DC PFLAG Montgomery County District 1 BOE Candidate Questionnaire Answers

In recent years, the Montgomery County Public Schools system (MCPS) has made great progress with respect to LGBTQ matters.  MCPS policy, of course, is set by the Montgomery County Board of Education.  Below is the Questionnaire that the Metro DC Chapter of  PFLAG sent to all 2022 candidates for the Board of Education.  Scroll down for the answers provided by  District 1 Candidates, in alphabetical order, Jay Guan, Grace Rivera-Oven, and Esther Wells. Candidate Alex Fahmy did not submit any responses.  (Answers from the At-Large, District 3, and District 5 candidates may be found here, here, and here.)  For those seeking more context, I suggest checking out the links provided in the Questionnaire itself.

NOTE:  In the July 19 primary election, the top two vote-getters move on to the general election in November. Voters may vote in all the contests, regardless of where in the County they live.

David S. Fishback, Co-Chair for Maryland Advocacy
Metro DC Chapter of PFLAG

 

Dear XXXXX:

 

For many years, the Metro DC Chapter of PFLAG has worked cooperatively with MCPS and the Board of Education to work foster a positive environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, and Gender Non-Conforming students.

 

In order to inform our members and supporters of the viewpoints of the candidates running to serve on the Board of Education, we respectfully request that you answer the five brief questions pasted below.  In order to provide a context, we include background materials.  As a 501(c)(3) organization, we will not be endorsing candidates for office, but we will pass along your answers, and anything else you would like to let us know, to our members and supporters.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

 

David S. Fishback, Maryland Advocacy Co-Chair

Metro DC PFLAG

 

cc:  Mark Eckstein, Maryland Advocacy Co-Chair, Metro DC PFLAG

  

 

1.  HEALTH EDUCATION CURRICULUM

 

Background

 

The secondary school Family Life and Human Sexuality curriculum provides that with respect to matters of sexual orientation and gender identity, the lessons are not “scripted” (as they were prior to 2014), but rather that “instructional planning resources [are] developed similar to all other content areas, including sample learning tasks, suggested instructional resources, and teacher guidance (e.g., the American Psychological Association’s Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality, available at http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/orientation.pdf.  This shift permits teachers to plan instruction based on the specific needs of their students, as they do in all other content areas.” See  https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/c4cf1644198dfd9986257503000d636f/4e99ac91837305c887257cd1006d30ed/$FILE/6%201%20Sec%20Health%20Ed%20Curr%20Framework.pdf (pp. 5-6), adopted by the Board of Education on June 17, 2014.

 

Question

 

What is your position on the inclusion of information from mainstream American medical and mental health professional associations in the MCPS health education curriculum?

 

 

 2.  ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

 

Background

 

MCPS guidelines and regulations make it very clear that the Board of Education “expects all students and staff to conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates mutual respect without regard to an individual’s actual or perceived personal characteristics, such as . . . gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, [and] family/parental status.” See, for example, A Student’s Guide to Rights and Responsibilities, 2021-22  and Employee Code of Conduct, 2021-22. 

 

With respect to gender identity and expression, MCPS provides specific Guidelines.  See Guidelines Regarding Student Gender Identity, 2021-22

 

Question

  

What is your view of MCPS anti-discrimination policies with respect to LGBTQ students and employees?

 

 

 3.   SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ STUDENTS

 

Background

 

On February 4, 2020, the Board of Education’s Committee on Special Populations reviewed its Support for LGBTQ Students Update.  This review included discussion of MCPS initiatives for support of LGBTQ Students.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/c4cf1644198dfd9986257503000d636f/2687cea280a07e5985258504005b4a33/$FILE/200204%20LGBTQ%20Students%20Update.pdf

 

Question

 

What is your view of the initiatives announced in February 2020?

 

 4.   SCHOOL NAMING

 

Background

 

In 2018, the Board of Education decided to name the new Richard Montgomery Cluster Elementary School after Bayard Rustin, a gay African American civil rights activist who was instrumental to organizing the 1963 March of Washington, which became the platform for Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/Bayard-Rustin.aspx

 

Question

 

What is your view of the naming of Bayard Rustin Elementary School?

 

 5.   ATTEMPTS TO BAR DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR GENDER EXPRESSION.

 

Background

 

In some parts of the country, efforts are being made to prohibit public schools from discussing or even mentioning sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  See, for example, https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079541236/florida-dont-say-gay-bill and https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/02/09/pete-buttigieg-florida-dont-say-gay-bill-lgbtq-youth-impact-nr-vpx.cnn

 

Question

 

What is your view of these efforts?

 

 6.  IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US, PLEASE DO SO.

CANDIDATE RESPONSES:

Jay Guan

1.  What is your position on the inclusion of information from mainstream American medical and mental health professional associations in the MCPS health education curriculum?

Yes. I support their inclusion in MCPS health Education curriculum. We should always strive to include the most up-to-date, relevant materials from credible professional organizations in our Health Education curriculum.

2.  What is your view of MCPS anti-discrimination policies with respect to LGBTQ students and employees?

While on paper MCPS’ anti-discrimination policies treat LGBTQ discrimination the same as other hate related incidents, the enforcement and reaction to anti-LGBTQ incidents are seemingly not the same as other types of hate related incidents and bullying.

          Moreover, our reporting, data tracking, and resolution/accountability mechanisms can use some improvement.

          Currently, reporting of anti-LGBTQ incidents is typically done via form 230-35. On the form, there is a separate “Related to the student’s perceived sexual orientation” category. However, Anti-LGBTQ incidents are grouped and tracked under an umbrella “Hate Incidents” category in the Office of Shared Accountability(OSA)’s safety and security data tracking and reporting. One cannot easily disaggregate and evaluate the relevant data. Thus, one potential improvement is to “unify” the reporting categories in form 230-35 and the “report out” published by OSA.

          Lastly, another improvement is to make these data more accessible and easily understandable. Currently, they are published as data tables in PDFs. A more visual approach will make these data more “digestible”.

3.  What is your view of the initiatives announced in February 2020? 

It's a good step forward, and if elected, I intend to make sure that adequate resources are lined up and the initiatives are implemented with fidelity.

4.  What is your view of the naming of Bayard Rustin Elementary School?

I think it is long overdue. We should consider more LGBTQ pioneers in our future school naming efforts.

5. What is your view of [“Don’t Say Gay”] efforts?

It's misguided. Students nowadays can access information about these subjects on the internet, whether parents or politicians like them to or not. By muffling the discussion in the classroom,our students are actually missing a guided forum to learn about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Furthermore, the bill’s provision to allow parents to sue schools over this will place an unnecessary, persistent, legal and financial burdens on schools. 

Grace Rivera-Oven

1. What is your position on the inclusion of information from mainstream American medical and mental health professional associations in the MCPS health education curriculum?

I think it is essential to include these medical and mental health professional associations as guidelines to inform, educate, and support all our students who are LGBTQ+ or gender non-conforming. 

2. What is your view of MCPS anti-discrimination policies with respect to LGBTQ students and employees?

My view is that they are inclusive so that neither staff nor students feel discriminated against based on their gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexuality. Schools must foster a welcoming environment for all children. Our educational focus must be on our students thriving, feeling supported, and included. Any discriminatory practices and actions must be addressed and disbanded for the safety of our staff and students. I agree with the current policies and will make sure they are upheld, implemented, and improved if needed.

 
3. What is your view of the initiatives announced in February 2020?

I think the initiatives are great, but I also think we need to include language accessibility to LGBTQ students who have nontraditional backgrounds. For example, our immigrant students who are simultaneously dealing with challenges as minorities in addition to LGBTQ self-identity and gender identity. That kind of support must be implemented in a culturally- and linguistically-comprehensive way. I did not see that in the recommendations, focus groups, nor student voices. Seeing that PFLAG has already implemented such accessible material for non-english speakers, I would like to work further with PFLAG and implement a model like this as a future MCPS initiative.  

4. What is your view of the naming of the Bayard Rustin Elementary School?

I think it is long-overdue that we incorporate Americans who left a thumbprint in history, especially in the Civil Rights movement, where the LGBTQ+ community at the time had a large presence and was integral to the movement. Mr. Bayard Rustin was a great believer in nonviolence at a time when it was not welcomed to be openly gay. He stayed true to his identity. It is important for our students to see themselves reflected in role models like Mr. Rustin. Therefore, I applaud the efforts to commemorate him with the Bayard Rustin Elementary School. It is a sign that all children are welcome in MCPS.

5. What is your view of ["Don't Say Gay"] efforts?

Around the country, there are many efforts to erase populations that are nontraditional, look differently, or identify differently, especially when it concerns gender and sexuality. Our job as educators is to educate without ignorance, while protecting and uplifting students in a nondiscriminatory way. We cannot allow the infiltration of views and practices that take away the agency and rights of students who identify as LGBTQ+. I am acutely aware of the damage these sentiments have had on our children and youth. The data shows an increase in suicidal thoughts within the LGBTQ+ community, especially for black and brown students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. This is completely unacceptable and these precedents cannot have any place in MCPS. I will ensure that these negative efforts that are plaguing our country do not affect our MCPS population. 

6. IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US, PLEASE DO SO.

As someone who has mentored hundreds of youths, ran an after-school program, and worked extensively in minority communities who have not been supported by their families or communities, I have personally seen the human toll that discriminatory rejection takes on our young people in an emotional and physical way. I stand with and advocate for any child or young adult who wants to express their identity and be themselves, and I will be an advocate and a voice for students, staff, and families if elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education.

Esther Wells

1.  What is your position on the inclusion of information from mainstream American medical and mental health professional associations in the MCPS health education curriculum?

I support health education as part of our curriculum, and information included from medical and mental health professional associations. As a parent of a child with a disability, it is vitally important that all aspects of our curriculum be delivered to the students of MCPS, especially health related information. Our health education curriculum should be regularly reviewed by all stakeholders and updated accordingly to ensure they are age appropriate and relevant. 

2.  What is your view of MCPS anti-discrimination policies with respect to LGBTQ students and employees?

Discrimination should not be tolerated, especially within MCPS. I will uphold my responsibilities to ensure all students feel safe and welcomed in our schools. I will enforce MCPS policies as a Board of Education member. 

3.  What is your view of the initiatives announced in February 2020? 

As a Board of Education member, I am committed to accountability and transparency. I would like to ensure that initiatives announced are in partnership with all stakeholders and that we hold MCPS accountable in terms of outcomes. Are our students safe, thriving and learning and were the actions and plans described in 2020 carried out due to the pandemic, or have they been delayed? As a Board member, I will be committed to ensuring transparency with parents and students and oversight of the superintendent.

4.  What is your view of the naming of Bayard Rustin Elementary School? 

Naming our buildings for instrumental and historical leaders is fitting. 

5. What is your view of [“Don’t Say Gay”] efforts? 

As a board of education member, I commit to being focused on transparency, accountability, and education. I am concerned that efforts to divide and silence our parents and students detracts from the work that must be done to ensure that all of our students receive the education that they need to be competitive on the world stage. 

6.  IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US, PLEASE DO SO HERE:

Thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions. I welcome conversation with PFLAG if there are additional specific concerns that you would like to discuss.