What I Feel Are The Most Pressing Issues For Our District

Over the last several years, we all have lived through unprecedented times including, but not limited to - the Pandemic, Active Shooters in Schools, and Societal Discourse.  As a parent there are many concerns that I have had in recent years about how these events have impacted my children’s education, the overall well being of my children, and the safety of my children. As such I believe the most pressing issue for the Cranford School District is tasked with having the correct mechanisms in place to assess the real impact of these events.  The District must have a plan to identify, understand and formulate an action plan to best address these situations. 

 

As it relates to Academics, the District must continue to assess the areas where the children have experienced learning loss and continue to implement programs and initiatives to fill the gap. In regards to the social emotional piece the District must continue to put in place initiatives that seek to address the well being of a child and to put in place activities that encourage active social engagement in the schools so a student can feel that they belong and are cared for. The Guidance Department must continue to address the concerns of bullying in the school through initiatives that seek to prevent the action before it happens and if need be have consequences when it does. Lastly, and possibly most importantly the District must be equipped to respond to an active shooter.  

 

The task of meeting the needs of our children is paramount to the success that they will experience now and in their future.  These decisions cannot be made in isolation.  For the sake of our children, there must be mechanisms in place to empower the parents to feel that they have influence in creating the strategies that the District puts into place in navigating these difficult circumstances. If elected, I will seek to empower every stakeholder to have a voice that is heard.