“What is David’s position on book banning?”
Answer: David is against banning of books as a principle. When sexually explicit and divisive content was discovered in Lindbergh Schools’ libraries and lesson plans, the concern was to protect students from explicit and divisive materials that are not age appropriate and/or in agreement with family values for district families. David believes books should be age appropriate, have educational value, and be respectful of the freedom of conscience and of all community values. With proper cataloging and labeling, books can remain accessible to everyone as permitted which shows sensitivity to the values and beliefs of students and their families.
What about teaching real history?
Answer: David’s platform supports teaching a full, truthful, and honest history without compromise. The key to understanding history, is to objectively analyze it, with the context of the respective time, culture, and society, in order to gain a fuller understanding to learn from.
What does David mean by “Parental involvement”?
Answer: Parental involvement or rights has become somewhat of a dog whistle these days, so what does it really mean? Parents are looking to secure their existing rights, not introduce new ones.
David’s platform holds that parents and/or legal guardians are the primary care and decision makers of their own children. The district asks us to trust them, and we want to. However, the district also needs to first trust the parents, that we have the best interests of our children at heart, it must be a partnership.
In cases not involving the law or social worker assignment, conversations about a child’s struggles with identity or gender dysphoria should never take place between the district and the child without first involving the parents to decide on an approach. David believes that as a district, we can develop a procedure and process that incorporates a sensitive approach, prioritizing the needs and values of families in order to support our students.”
“What is David’s stand on Inclusion, Equity and Diversity?”
Answer: David believes in the ethos of the American dream and its constitution, ensuring equality of opportunities for everyone rather than attempting to create equity in outcome. In the last five years, Lindbergh Schools has attempted to implement DEI practices meant to bring a change in pedagogy, hiring practices, and entrance into gifted programs. While the intent and purpose may have stemmed from motivation to help underserved students, the outcome has been that we have not been able to assist those students academically. Additionally, there has been a general shift away from academic rigor resulting in the loss of many programs like challenge classes, high school class ranking, discontinuation of math intervention programs, and abolishing homework in the elementary schools. As a result of equity practices in the Lindbergh gifted program, many families have testified to being hurt by discriminatory practices. David does not support the DEI initiatives that Lindbergh Schools has implemented. A better approach is to provide resources, tutoring, and support for underserved students to bring them to grade level so that every student can maximize their potential. Rather than solely focusing on what makes us different, it is equally important to cultivate a sense of belonging and unity.
“What is David’s stand on CRT (Critical Race Theory)?“
To answer this question, we first need to define what the framework of the question is about. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of CRT is:
“Central to Critical Race Theory is the idea that many institutions are built on and enforce systemic racism and oppression of people of color, that this racism and oppression have a long history in the US and the world (including slavery and its legacy), and that they are ongoing and driven by white supremacy.
As an academic, intellectual, or philosophical discipline or school or thought, Critical Race Theory is broad and encompasses the discussion and use of many related concepts and terms, such as implicit bias, intersectionality, and white privilege.”
David does not support the application of CRT being taught as a lens or otherwise. This is not to suggest that there are no issues in our society. However, applying a lens of race, so that our children view different skin color as “oppressor” or “oppressed” is wrong and divisive. David believes that all people are afforded equal rights under the civil rights act and wants to focus on unity, and belonging. It is important to David to make sure that all children are welcome, just as David and his family experienced during their immigration journey to America.
Do ALL of David’s children go to Lindbergh Schools?
Answer: David has four children. In Lindbergh, a 2022 alumnus and a current senior at LHS. As a father, David had to make a difficult decision last year—to withdraw his two younger children from the district. The reason behind this decision was that Lindbergh Elementary was no longer meeting the academic needs of his children. This is one of the many important reasons why David is running for the board: to restore a consistent classroom experience for all students, with a focus on academic excellence.