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Dear District 13: Putting Our Oxygen Mask On First ?>

Dear District 13: Putting Our Oxygen Mask On First

My name is Gwen Samuel, and I am reaching out to you as an everyday mom, grandma, taxpayer, and informed voter. Like many families, I too experience the hardship of inflation and rising costs. I make payment arrangements like many of you to keep a roof over my head and the lights and heat on.  I also have experienced a significant loss of two young adult children in my life. Nevertheless, I am committed to helping improve the quality of…

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Dear Dr. Cardona: Way Too Many Mom and Pop Voices Missing From Your “Unprecedented” Parent and Family Council Planning  ?>

Dear Dr. Cardona: Way Too Many Mom and Pop Voices Missing From Your “Unprecedented” Parent and Family Council Planning 

When the Biden Administration announced this week that it was creating an “unprecedented” advisory council to elevate the role of parents and families in schools, I became full of mixed emotions. Why? Because our parent group and similar groups across the nation have been engaged in that work for years— some for decades – with minimal parent right protections from the U.S. Department of Education. God knows I try so hard to stay optimistic, but when I dug into the…

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Dear Dr. Cardona: An Open Letter From A Connecticut Mom ?>

Dear Dr. Cardona: An Open Letter From A Connecticut Mom

Dear Dr. Cardona, Congratulations on your nomination to become the next U.S. Secretary of Education. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were sitting in your office here in Meriden discussing a bullying issue regarding my child. You were so attentive, and while I might not have been happy with all the decisions made, I always appreciated that you took the time to actually listen and recommend some appropriate supports — in a timely manner. Your willingness to listen…

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Courts Are Failing Children on the Promise of Brown v. Board of Education ?>

Courts Are Failing Children on the Promise of Brown v. Board of Education

“The people in this country whose job is to even the scales of justice cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the injustice being done mostly to children of color and marginalized communities every day in America’s schools. The Constitution does not end at the schoolhouse door.”  I address my concerns as a Black mom in my post republished from Huffpost BlackVoices.  You can find me on Twitter @RealTalkGwenS. ***** As a mother of color, I have long looked to American courts to right wrongs…

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