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When school boards across the country became battlegrounds for partisan politics, a hotbed of division emerged in the Francis Howell community. Soon, board members elected with the support of political parties and national interest groups held the FHSD board majority. From 2023-2025, their actions began to limit student opportunity, decrease teacher effectiveness, and undermine parental decision-making:
Teacher & Staff Relations: Rejected funding for professional development, targeted individual teachers through policy and discipline, undermined staff expertise, and poorly handled the superintendent search.
Policy & Transparency: Pushed controversial policies, like removing a resolution against racism and discrimination from building walls and proposing bathroom policies aimed at the mythical use of kitty litter, and changing rules around sharing campaign literature on campus to increase their chances of reelection.
Curriculum & Instruction: Rejected recommended learning software (iReady), attempted elimination of Black history/literature electives, attacked books with LGBTQ+ themes or violence, and restricted the use of pronouns and/or mentions of gender identity.
These actions caused FHSD to frequent local headlines, gain national media coverage, and struggle to retain quality teachers.
These actions underscore why the role of school board director is one of the few offices where candidates do not declare a party affiliation. This is an important distinction. School boards should function independently from any political party or national interest group. The local needs of students, teachers, and families should be the board’s central focus. Francis Howell deserves a school board that values teacher expertise and development, bolsters student opportunities, and allows parents to make decisions for their children.
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