Open Letter in Response to the April 15th 2024 CVSD School Board Meeting

In recent days I have had time to reflect. The words and actions by the Cumberland Valley School District school board have caused many of us to do so. I have thought a lot about my privilege.

I have never experienced discrimination or bullying simply based on my ethnicity or who I’m attracted to. That is not to say that I haven’t faced hardships, because I have. But I have never had to think about how I’m perceived based on those two aspects of my being. I try to exist in a way that is empathetic and caring towards others. I try to think about how my words and actions affect others.

This is clearly not the case for the board. Each of these members chose to vote in a way that had no regard for how their actions affect others. This community has a significant population of south Asian families, and to not recognize the impact that having a nationally recognized south Asian author discuss his experience being bullied, something that we know is happening to our own students is astounding.

Additionally, we know that those who identify LGBTQ+ are more likely to experience bullying, harassment and suicidal ideations. So why would we not want to have representation for them? It doesn’t take personal experience to be empathetic to others. Our board took an oath to serve all students and they broke that oath when they decided certain students were less than simply because of their sexuality.

I appreciate that certain board members regret their decision, and I hope that tonight the decision is overturned and Maulik Pancholy will present to Mountain View on May 22nd. However, their initial vote cannot be overlooked.

Had this decision not received the attention that it did, would these board members still express regret? Or is it simply that they recognized their decision was almost universally condemned and they’re now trying to save face? I cannot answer that question, only they can.

But what I can tell you, is that in my opinion if you voted in favor of cancelling this assembly you do not belong on the board. You have shown our community that you do not have the strength of character to do what is best for every child when faced with a difficult choice. You chose to do what was easy and go with the majority, instead of doing what was right.

One of my favorite quotes is “what is right isn’t always popular and what is popular isn’t always right” I try to live my life with that mantra guiding me, but clearly not everyone does.

Candidate Forum

On October 12th The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Capital Region hosted a Candidate Forum for all Cumberland Valley School Board candidates. Every candidate was invited, and all but two participated. Becuase many members of the community were not able to attend, I have included the questions and my answers below.

Question 1. The school board has committees that govern athletics, curriculum and education, facilities, finance and policy. What skills, experiences and insights do you possess that will assist the board in addressing these core areas?  Answer here.

Question 2. Dr. Christopher has recently announced his resignation as superintendent of the district and the next school board will select his successor. What are the most important skills or qualities that you think the next superintendent of the district should possess and why? What is the ideal relationship between the superintendent and the board? Answer here.

Question 3. What are your overall priorities that, in a perfect world, you would accomplish during your time in office? How will you go about achieving them? Why are these the most important? Answer here.

Question 4. An individual school board member has no authority; only the board as a whole can make decisions for the district. What skills or traits do you have that will allow you to contribute to effective operations of the board as a whole? How will you balance the needs of your individual township with the needs of the district overall? Answer here.

Question 5. At school board meetings across the country, concerns have been raised about topics that students are exposed to during their time at school. What is the role of schools in exposing children to sensitive topics such as: sex education, drug use, and race and racism? Aanswer here.

Schools Should Be a Safe Place for our Kids

Another school shooting, another day of “thoughts and prayers”. It’s sickening to me that our children, teachers, and school staff need to fear violence simply going to school. Yes, violence can happen anywhere, but the fact that schools are specifically targeted is disgusting. This is an issue that doesn’t necessarily start in our schools but too often this violence is brought there.

We don’t need more guns, or safe rooms or bullet proof backpacks. We need more mental health resources, more crisis intervention and tougher gun laws. I understand it is our right to bear arms, but those rights still have limits. Our limitless right to bear arms is infringing upon the health and well-being of our children. Gun violence is the number one cause of death in U.S children according to the CDC reports, surpassing motor vehicle death in 2020. The rest of the world is not facing this type of violence. When are we going to make changes that will make it harder to access firearms?

I am by no means an expert in violence reduction, but I don’t think that research has shown that more guns in schools will help. I think that if we teach children at a young age empathy, compassion, love and the value of human life and help those in crisis instead of just punishing what we view as bad behavior we may have fewer individuals who only know how to deal with their feelings using violence.

I can only hope that we never have to deal with this type of tragedy personally, but unfortunately there is no part of our country that is immune.

Book Bans Hurt Students

When we close our minds, we reduce our ability to learn and understand from different perspectives. When we restrict books, we stifle growth, creativity, and access to different ideas and knowledge. Let’s keep our minds and books open, you never know what you might learn!

World Down Syndrome Day

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day. My Aunt Gail had Down Syndrome and my grandma fought for her to have every opportunity possible. I want to work with our educators and families to ensure that the children of CV have the tools to thrive and shine! Each child’s uniqueness should be celebrated and supported to allow them to become their best selves no matter what obstacles they may be experiencing. We are all capable of great things!

Policy to support students experiencing homelessness, foster care

At tonight’s School Board meeting, Policy 251 is being voted on. This policy provides and improves mechanisms to identify and support students experiencing homelessness, foster care and other educational instabilities. This policy makes me extremely happy that these issues are being addressed. Prior to attending the Milton Hershey School, I was homeless and food insecure. I received free breakfast and lunch, and on many nights, only because of caring friends and family members, did we have dinner or food in the fridge. Had I not gone to Milton Hershey School, I don’t know how my educational journey would have gone, so I am grateful to the Cumberland Valley School Board and school administrators for thinking of these students and the burdens they face every single day.