To the editor:
The chorus of our many Westport neighbors writing in to support Lee Goldstein, Neil Phillips and Jill Dillon has articulated the case for their candidacies very well.
Against the backdrop of their longstanding professional and volunteer experiences in the Westport community, Lee, Neil and Jill have demonstrated their commitment to excellence, as well as their passion for serving our public schools. What is left to say?
As an RTM Education Committee member and as a parent, I see the long hours put in by our Westport Public School (“WPS”) staff.
I see how demands of modern society continually challenge our educators, and how they consistently meet these challenges with dedication and grace.
For our Board of Education to function, BOE members must cultivate a positive pro-social relationship with the WPS administration and staff with room for respectful debate on issues that matter to Westport families.
I cannot see how this happens if we elevate a person who has publicly called them “groomers” to a position of authority over them.
No doubt, our Westport staff will deal with it if they have to, but really, why should they have to?
We want BOE leaders who approach the governance of our public schools first and foremost from a place of respect and gratitude to its hard-working staff, not demeaning public attacks on them.
Our WPS employees deserve our support. On Election Day, voters can demonstrate this support for them by choosing Lee Goldstein, Neil Phillips and then writing in Jill Dillon for BOE.
Candace Banks, RTM member, District 6
Westport
Thank you Candace. You have so eloquently captured my biggest fear.
Our schools are only as good as the staff we hire. Why would an educational professional of any caliber want to work in a school district where they might be verbally attacked (without cause) at any moment? Retaining our current excellent educators and recruiting new educators will become quickly impossible.
Seems they have demonstrated their excellence in the promotion of DEI and SEL policies that are being increasingly rejected around the country. Parents, look up what these policies include. According to their adherents they have had only positive results. The acting out on streets of our cities by young people supporting Hamas and even anti-semitic graffiti and social media videos here in Westport have nothing to do with it, they aver. Obviously, that is not the case. Children should not be indoctrinated to hate their country and their western value system.
Jamie Fitzgerald and Camilo Riano do not believe that your kids should be indoctrinated into beliefs that you, their parents, may not share. Schools are supposed to teach academics and not inculcate ideologies. Vote Row B on November 7th.
Sharon, Thank you for the opportunity to once again clarify what Westport schools are about. Here , from the website, is exactly what is meant by DEI.
“By Diversity, we mean…embracing, honoring and celebrating the wide array of differences within us including, but not limited to: race, age, sex, body type, gender expression, gender identity, color, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, language, culture, sexual orientation, nation of origin/citizenship, religion/spirituality, and different abilities.
By Equity, we mean…ensuring fairness within our educational community and addressing the inequalities that may exist with our historically marginalized communities. Each and every member in our educational community will have the opportunity, resources, and support to thrive and grow.
By Inclusion, we mean encouraging, promoting, and sustaining a true sense of belonging and empowerment for each and every member of our educational community, especially those who are historically marginalized.”
The Westport teachers and administrators are not indoctrinating our children and not teaching them to hate their country or themselves.
DEI and SEL are not new and are NOT negatively impacting our academic rigor.
You , Camilo and Jamie do not have the authority to claim the Westport schools means something other than what they say they mean.
Thankfully there are many of us in this community that understand we can lift up people without tearing others down. I can help historically marginalized people without hurting my white child. We can allow explicit materials in a library after a well vetted bi-partisan review without grooming our children, we can teach our children about history without teaching them they are bad, and we can focus on academic rigor that allows us to be a top ranked district while also taking care of the whole person that are our children and our teachers.
VOTE GOLDSTEIN, PHILLIPS and WRITE IN DILLON !!
Blah, blah, blah. How stupid does anyone have to be to believe that.
Sharon, linking SEL to Hamas support is shameful.
And thank you for this insight into your candidates: “Jamie Fitzgerald and Camilo Riano do not believe that your kids should be indoctrinated into beliefs that you, their parents, may not share.” Personally, I’d rather raise children who disagree with my views after thoughtful and considered inquiry in school—hardly indoctrination, a word you throw around so casually— than children who are taught to parrot their parents views without such introspection and debate. What you really want is our children to only have a view of the world that you and your flawed candidates share. No thank you.
Oh you’re quite welcome. Please keep deluding yourself if it makes you feel better.
Sharon, please keep grabbing every Westport Journal post in your jaws and shaking it from side to side. Whenever you post, another Democrat is born.
You wish! It’s fun watching you pathetic DEI//SEL acolytes’ heads spinning off because all you can do is attack. You make no case for your indefensible leftist positions and I think we know which one is the only one important to you, don’t we? When the left is in control the country spins out of control. Likewise for our little microcosm of Westport.
So people all over the country who are demanding the elimination of these policies have their knickers in a twist over nothing because you say so. Westport is unfortunately a very leftist town and with parents like you I’m sure you’ll find plenty of kids who are on board with this and getting lots of approbation for agreeing with you. In short order I’m sure we will find them participating in a lefty demonstration and making you proud.