1. Do you support the HCPSS guidelines that transgender students will have access to restrooms, changing facilities, and sports in accordance with the student’s gender identity? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I would support a policy that allows transgender students to choose their preferred restrooms or facilities. Students have the right to access the bathrooms of their choosing.

2. Would you support a policy that codifies the guideline that requires HCPSS staff and non-official documents to use the name and pronouns that a student requests? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I would support this policy. Dale Carnegie said, “A person's name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” Calling a student by their preferred name and pronoun signals to them that they are seen and valued.

3. To what age groups (if any) is it appropriate for teachers and other staff members to disclose to students that they have LGBTQ+ family members or are in a same-sex relationship?

I think it is appropriate for teachers and staff to disclose this information starting as early as kindergarten. My son is in kindergarten and he told me that his friend has two moms. It gave us an opportunity to discuss how all families are different. The conversation is age appropriate and on-going.

4. What concerns, if any, do you have with students talking about themselves or family, friends, or community members related to being LGBTQ+?

I do not have any concerns about this.

5. Should curriculum be revised to include reference to LGBTQ+ individuals, including the fact or possibility that the individuals were LGBTQ+ identified. If yes, what (if any) is the minimum grade level at which these changes should be made? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I believe that the curriculum should be inclusive and represent the spectrum of students in the county. It should include positive contributions of important figures in the LGBTQ community. It is important that students see examples of their lives in the curriculum to make it more culturally relevant. I believe that this should start in kindergarten because early exposure is more impactful to learners.

6. Should curriculum be revised to include reference to LGBTQ+ themed works of literature, art, and media, and if yes, what (if any) is the minimum grade level at which this should be done? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I think this should start in kindergarten.

7. Should HCPSS make sure schools continue to offer access to LGBTQ+ student clubs like GSAs to their students? At what levels (High? Middle? Elementary?) should this happen? Please explain your answer.

Yes, student clubs offer a sense of belonging and connectedness. These clubs should begin in middle school similar to timing of other club offerings.

8. Do you support the continued funding of programs for LGBTQ+ students at HCPSS such as employing an LGBTQ initiatives specialist and rainbow representatives within the schools? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I believe in the continued funding for programs that support LGBTQ+ students. It is critical to have a centralized and resourced support for these students.

9. What changes would you like to see made to the way HCPSS handles identification, reporting, interventions, and prevention of bullying?

While Howard County has an online reporting system, I would like to see an app based system that gives students easier access to reporting incidents of bullying. Also, I would like to see more bullying prevention training offered to both students and staff that would empower students with strategies to stand up to bullying.

10. What measures should the school system take to prevent suicide among the student body?

an alarming 1 in 2 for LGBTQ teens. Much like the way that educators are trained to recognize signs of physical abuse, they should be trained to recognize declines in socioemotional well-being and get students to highly-trained school counselors and psychologists.

11. HCPSS has a diverse student population with regard to race, ethnicity, country of origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, disability, family structure, etc. What roles do you think these intersectional identities should play in the school system’s policies and practices in supporting LGBTQ+ students?

Often, there is an erasure of identity in policy making when this is the very thing that should be centered in both policy and practice.

12. HCPSS has guidelines for gender inclusion (found in https://www.hcpss.org/f/supports/gender-inclusive-guidelines.pdf). Do you support these guidelines and would you vote in favor of a policy that codifies these guidelines? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I would support the inclusion of these guidelines into existing policies similar to the inclusion of other identities. Currently, HCPSS uses the term "gender expression" in the anti-discrimination policy.

13. What are your views on training all staff on LGBTQ+ and other diversity related issues?

This training should be mandatory.

14. How should the school system deal with requests for book removal? How do you prevent those requests from disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ themed books?

HCPSS should continue to follow the outlined process for book challenges as it has affirmed HCPSS and the Board's mission for an inclusive environment where all children see themselves. Nationwide, the top books targeted center on race and LGBTQ+ books. My hope is that these requests will decrease through education about how they serve as windows and mirrors for children.