Please provide a brief biographical background on yourself. What should voters know about you?
Integrity is how I pushed and continued throughout my life. I served in the United States Navy, where I met my husband. I have two amazing children @ Zeh Elementary. I moved to Northborough in 2017 and continued my work in mental health. I have dedicated a lot of time working with fellow vets through the VA. I obtained my bachelor’s in psychology, and master’s for mental health counseling. I currently work at Westborough Behavioral Mental Healthcare Hospital, treating both inpatient and outpatient adults and adolescences.
Why are you running?
I am running for School Committee because every student deserves a choice. Giving our young people the opportunity to make their own decisions helps to build a sense of independence and empowers them to make tough choices with integrity. Our focus needs to be on rigorously preparing all our children for the complex, diverse, technical, and competitive world that awaits them. It starts with allowing our amazing educators to do what they do best, and that is teaching. That effort cannot and should not sugarcoat the intolerance and injustices of the past or exclude points of view. At the same time, it must bring students together, emphasize achievement for all, and avoid the divisive political agendas that foster division and threaten the safe learning environment that we want and need for our children now more than ever.
What specific skills/experience/expertise would you bring to your role?
I have a vast level of experience with mental health for diverse cultures, identities, including first responders and military personal. Additionally, I have the knowledge and experience within mental health field to physically see the setbacks within my own children and their peers.
What do you see as the three issues facing Northborough schools?
1) Closing the gaps for each individual child academically and socially.
Students are behind on all levels. Our educators have done such an outstanding job changing their accommodations for all children the best way they could with the given resources of zoom and online learning. As humans we are naturally social and collaborative beings, so any form of isolation from peers and loved ones gives an automatic setback and demand for attention
2) Northborough K-8 school system lacking mental health resources.
The adolescents deserve better, we can do better. We are not only lacking mental health resources for each individual child but also for our educators, staff, and school specialists.
3) Lack of transparency, accountability, and choice.
With the recent pandemic and crisis at hand, at lot of fingers have been pointed. As parents, we have been presented with many crucial changes for our children at home and in school. Proper resources need to be put in place to allow these new changes to run smoothly and effectively.
How do you plan to address the issues identified facing Northborough schools?
1) Closing the gaps for each individual child academically and socially.
The school is currently integrating SAEBRS. The SAEBRS (Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener) is a brief, norm-referenced tool for screening all students to identify those who are at risk for social-emotional behavior (SEB) problems. It is not enough; we can do better!
2) Northborough K-8 school system lacking mental health resources.
I propose to offer guidance to work alongside the parents and schools even more!
3) Lack of transparency, accountability, and choice.
I have created a Facebook page called Change Through Transparency where if elected, I intend to continue to use this social media platform to inform parents and the community on each decision that needs to be made regarding our children. I am not running for School Committee to have my agenda or voice be herd solely. I am running to ensure that all parents have a choice that they believe best suits their individual child.
How do you think schools should address potential learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I propose to offer guidance that is focused on each individual child, through sets of evaluations given by QUALIFIED mental health specialists. This gives the ability to evaluate the child on all levels of education gaps and mental health crisis, if there is any present. This also allows our educators who know our child’s strengths and weaknesses to have grave input including any behavioral setbacks that may have developed. The conferences should consist of licensed LMHC’s, LCSW’s, mental health specialists, school nurse and parents so ALL can work together creating the child individual specialized “treatment plan”. Remember each child may not need an intense “treatment plan”, again it is based off evaluating their level of social and academic setbacks. This gives each child inclusion and special attention in areas that are needed including academic and mental status.
Schools have identified mental health as a topic of concern especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. How should the Northborough schools address this issue?
I will offer guidance with my clinical mental health field regarding the crisis we are facing within the adolescent population. The determination and level of mental health setbacks should not fall on the shoulders of our educators, that is not fair to the child nor the educator. We can do better. We must hire multiple certified therapists who have specific training in areas including adolescent dissociative disorders, disruptive & impulse-control disorders, suicide, adolescent manic depression, bipolar I & II, gender & identity crisis, and social transition crisis and social discrimination to name a few. Providing these resources can help each child on an individual level, this in turn will help aid the community towards a positive light with the current crisis these children are facing on the daily.
