KARI FOR CATOCTIN
KARI FOR CATOCTIN
I am running for School Board to return Loudoun County Public School’s former reputation as the finest school system in the United States, the reputation that brought many of you here to raise your children.
My solutions start with involving parents as partners, grass roots guidance, focused career preparation for K – 12, fully funding Special Education, and complying with the dictates of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
It is so important that we work together to bring common sense back to education in Loudoun County Public Schools.
Parents are now prohibited from directing their children’s education. They are seen as dangerous and interfering.
Yet parents are the life-long mentors for their children and should be included in every facet of their education.
I hope to return the control of educational guidance to parents through the use of PTO’s to identify problems and concerns as well as suggest solutions and ideas.
I believe that every student who graduates from a Loudoun County Public High School should have the skills and training to immediately start at an entry level job in the career of their choice.
To accomplish this, I have planned a K-12 program that will introduce students to the kinds of jobs available and ways to train for those careers without the need for running up student debt.
A job is just a way to earn money. A career is doing what you love and getting paid for it!
Special Needs students are once again being discriminated against.
These vulnerable students and their families are suffering due to the program cuts that are provided by state and federal agencies fund specifically for these students.
This is a violation of federal laws, specifically the ADA and IDEA. Removal of funding, fines, and law suits are some of the consequences of the actions and policy of the current school board.
A hard look needs to be taken at current Special Ed. practices in the schools and corrective action take immediately.
I have served as an educator for 50 years, 30 of them in Loudoun County!
I have an Ed.S. in Special Education and Transition from The George Washington University, and have participated in projects at the national, state, and local levels.
As the vocational evaluator for the Special Education department, I have worked with students, parents, and teachers at all middle and high schools in Loudoun County.
I have worked on projects at federal, state, and local levels, written curriculum, and published articles involving federal law.
I was President of our state-wide professional organization, and have the background and skills to bring order to our current chaotic educational system.