2015 St. Paul Public School Board Questionnaire Results

Steve Marchese 
I wholeheartedly support the proposed Gender Inclusion Policy and hope that it will be implemented in a fair and effective manner by the district.

Jess Banks 
I support the SPPS Gender Inclusion Policy wholeheartedly. I was involved in the review process for it before it was made public, and I was one of the first to testify in favor of it at its first reading, before I had publically announced my candidacy. I appreciated the visibility of SPPS administrators like Ryan Vernosh and Mary Hoelscher at the MN High School League hearings, and the respect with which trans students and alumni have been treated before the current school board. The Gender Inclusion policy is a model, and I hope it inspires other districts to implement similar measures for the safety and dignity of all students.

Albert (Al) W. Oertwig 
I support the Gender Inclusion policy. Transgender issues haven't received the same level of support as other LGBT issues, and it's time. I was a prime supporter of the Out for Equity program as a school board member, and secured the first district funding for the program, and also secured funding for an additional staff person later. As the state's first openly LGBT school board member (and probably the first in the nation), I also worked to support Out for Equity type programs in other districts. In 2002, I led a national workshop for the Council of Urban Boards of Education on what various cities across the nation were doing to support LGBT youth, and encourage other districts to do the same.

Mary Vanderwert 
I believe our schools should work for all children. The classrooms, halls, gyms, playgrounds, buses and anywhere children are should be safe for all children. Children need to know they can be their full self and that who they are is important to our world. The adults in the schools should know their students, ensure the safety of all students, support all children in developing friendships with other children and adults by modeling respectful, inclusive interactions and by facilitating the conversations children need to develop an accepting and supportive environment for themselves and others. The policies in our schools need to be clear about expectations and provide systems of support for all to be successful. The policy developed by the school board is consistent with my beliefs and provides the basis for what comes next. What is now important is how the policies are implemented, supported and how all are held accountable. Training for all staff, changes to facilities that allow children needed privacy and dignity, thoughtful inclusion of differences in the curriculum and consequences when there are lapses will give the policy teeth and credibility. The school board and administration need also to be leaders in building a city around the children that respects and in fact, celebrates differences and ensures the respect and safety all children deserve.

Zuki Ellis 
Yes, I support the Gender Inclusion Policy.

Anne Carroll 
Absolutely. Since late 2013 I’ve co-led the development of this policy (to be adopted 3/17). We drafted it collaboratively with SPPS students, families, and staff, and drew upon contemporary research and the few other policies around the country. It makes an enormous leap forward for and with our transgender students to affirm and value who they are, and commits to welcoming them in their wholeness in every part of SPPS. The policy commits to using their preferred name, prohibits the too-common, arbitrary separation of student by gender, provides the opportunity to participate in co-/extracurricular activities consistent with gender identity, and ensures student access to facilities that align with their identity. Further, policy and Out for Equity staff actively collaborated with schools and administration to concurrently develop procedures to ensure the policy will be successfully implemented. We also support students and families through a Gender and Sexual Diversity Parent Advisory Committee.

Jon Schumacher 
I fully support the SPPS Gender inclusion policy and applaud the board for making it a priority. We need to work closely with our transgender communities to make sure they and their concerns are represented in all levels of our district decision-making process. We also need to back up the policy with ongoing programs for teacher, staff and student awareness as well as creating safe spaces for honest feedback about challenges to implementing and enforcing the policy.

Mary Doran 
I am 100% supportive of this policy, in fact I conceived it. It all started with a conversation with a transgender student - one voice. This policy morphed into something bigger than equity for transgender students, inclusion for all students. 

I had the courage and leadership to go down this path knowing that the eyes would be upon St. Paul and failure was not an option. I made sure to get it right. Other districts have asked for our policy and our procedure.

Steve Marchese 
Yes, I will support anti-bullying policies that meet the criteria in state law and work to ensure their successful implementation. This is an area where greater clarity and improvements in training and process can go a long way to ensuring all students feel welcome and can learn in school.

Jess Banks 
I spent many hours in both 2013 and 2014 securing the successful passage of this bill at the Legislature, so I am committed to seeing it fully implemented in every district, especially my home one. Without enumeration, clear definitions, training, and central reporting, it lacks the teeth that make the Safe Schools law a powerful tool for school climate change. I will absolutely fight to preserve every section as the district seeks to conform to the law’s requirements.

Albert (Al) W. Oertwig 
I support anti-bullying policies. The press (1990) made an issue of my identity as an openly gay school board member, and there were protests at board meetings, and 30 to 50 hate calls per day with many threatening specific physical harm. My son, was attacked physically at the prodding of an adult. Yes, the need is understood.

Mary Vanderwert 
I absolutely support these policies. Schools are places where children learn how to be in the world. They will naturally try out a variety of strategies for getting their emotional needs met. Young children who have experienced trauma, who have been exposed to violent adult behavior or who have mental health issues may try out less than appropriate strategies such as bullying to get their need for power met. They will need extra help in learning appropriate social behavior. Older students have this same need for learning but they need to be coupled with appropriate consequences. It is imperative that all students are clear about how they are expected to interact with others and solve problems. All children need to know that they have a right to be treated with respect by their peers and others by the culture in the school. I will work to integrate learning social skills and emotional intelligence in the curriculum and appropriate consequences and additional learning supports for those who perpetrate bullying. I will also advocate for teacher training and supports when they experience bullying in their classroom.

Zuki Ellis 
Yes, and certainly – a policy means nothing unless it is implemented and enforced.

Anne Carroll 
Bullying is an extremely serious issue, and research shows that the incidence is much higher and more consequential among LGBTQ students. I co-led the development of SPPS’s initial bullying prohibition policy in 2012, and the update in 2014 that made minor adjustments to conform with language in the final state act (the SPPS team helped shape the state act). Our policy makes clear that all adults are responsible for preventing bullying, including employees and volunteers and contractors, and that it applies not only to the individuals who directly engage in the bullying but also those who, “by their indirect behavior, support another’s act of bullying.” SPPS provides training and resources for students, staff, and volunteers, and interventions and responses are spelled out in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. The board also supports/monitors ongoing school climate improvements so they are welcoming, safe, equitable, and full of opportunities for every student.

Jon Schumacher 
Absolutely. We need to do everything we can to remedy bullying by first and foremost protecting our most vulnerable school community members, while understanding bullying’s root causes to educate and thereby prevent these hurtful behaviors. I believe there should be regular and substantive orientations on bullying and inclusion at the beginning of each school year to set a tone of understanding, tolerance, and community among all staff and students.

Mary Doran 
Yes to both accounts. 

I do support our bullying policy. It was the first thing I worked on after being elected to the Board. St. Paul Public Schools approved the policy in 2012. 

Shortly after the state passed their Safe and Supportive Minnesota schools act SPPS updated our policy to reflect these changes.

Steve Marchese 
I support sexuality education offered by public schools that is medically accurate, age-appropriate and inclusive of LGBT issues. As the parent of teen and pre-teen boys in the St. Paul Public Schools, I believe public schools have an obligation to present accurate information to students to enable them to make wise choices about their bodies and in their personal relationships, as well as enhancing their understanding of the larger community.

Jess Banks 
I fully support comprehensive sex ed in our schools. My children benefit greatly from exposure to our church’s sexuality and relationship curriculum, Our Whole Lives, and it represents a model for what I’d like to see in every school. If sex ed had been more than biology in my own education—including, for instance, discussions of healthy and abusive relationships—I might have been spared emotional and sexual violence, and more LGBT students may have felt comfortable being open about their identity. It’s not just a matter of education; it’s about public health and raising successful, empowered children.

Albert (Al) W. Oertwig 
Yes, I support sex education programs including LGBT youth, and helped start school health clinics.

Mary Vanderwert 
In an ideal world, parents would provide the information children need to make decisions about their bodies but too often, this doesn’t happen. Children have the right to know the science about their bodies, how they change and grow and what they can do to maintain their health. They need to know how to protect themselves by making good choices in their relationships, how they manage what they put in their bodies and what to do when they find themselves in situations that might affect their health negatively.They need information about how diseases are transmitted and what can be done to prevent infection. 

Information about sex needs to be appropriate for their level of understanding, factual and practical. Sexuality is a natural function of life and should be taught as such.

Zuki Ellis 
Yes, I support the comprehensive sexuality education program described here.

Anne Carroll 
I support accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education that explicitly includes LGBTQ issues, and have actively supported that position as a community activist, SPPS parent, and SPPS board member. In spite of periodic challenges to SPPS’s embrace of this, in my time on the board we have found ways to support the full range of student/ family diversity while actually expanding on our commitment to comprehensive sexuality education. Our elementary, middle, and high school curricula include sexuality education, and age-specific GLSEN resources begin in elementary. The health curriculum (and other instructional and engagement resources) also includes bullying, mental and emotional health, fitness and nutrition, etc. (see details here; right sidebar). Further, I fully support our continued community partnership with the nonprofit West Side Community Health Services that provides interdisciplinary Health Start school based clinics at 9 SPPS high schools, including mental health, reproductive care, and health ed (see another description here).

Jon Schumacher 
I support the sexuality education as described above. Both my wife and daughter are nurses who regularly lift up the importance of early instruction on matters of health and sexuality. Our children do not always have access to family members or professionals who are understanding or knowledgeable about these issues. They need to be able to gain perspective, support and acceptance for who they are and how best to take care of their mental and physical health. 

Thanks very much for the opportunity to share information and thoughts about these critical issues. Thanks also for your dedication and support of communities that have been discriminated against and marginalized. I look forward to working together with you and other community members to make sure all of our children grow up knowing they can be safe, supported and loved for who they are.

Mary Doran 
I absolutely support medically accurate, age-appropriate sexuality education.