Let me say the most important thing first: This is not about Republicans or Democrats. It is about special interest groups reaching into our school system. School board races in Talbot County are nonpartisan by law. No parties. No national groups. Just neighbors who want good schools. Conservative members belong on this board. So do liberal members and everyone in between. What does not belong is a pledge to a national interest group. Any group. The problem is not politics. It is the pledge.
But look at this year’s ballot: Anne Rosen in District 3, Mike Butler in District 4, and Lisa Hayes in District 7. All three signed the Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge. All three. You don’t have to take my word for it. Moms for Liberty publishes the names of pledge signers on its own website, and Rosen, Butler, and Hayes are all listed there.
Mike Butler says otherwise. This week, on his campaign’s Facebook page, he told voters, “I’m not influenced by any groups, organizations or agendas.” That sounds nice. But he signed a written pledge to a national political group. The pledge’s own words are “I pledge to advance policies,” and it goes on to name the group’s agenda, from “parental involvement” to fighting “government overreach.” You cannot sign a pledge to a group and then claim no group influences you. A pledge is a promise. That is what the word means.
The board’s own handbook is blunt about this. Board members must “refuse to surrender that judgment to individuals or special interest groups.” They must also refuse to use their seat for “political, personal, or business advancement.” Every member signs a form promising to know these rules. Butler, Rosen, and Hayes signed their judgment away to an interest group before even winning a seat. Ann O’Connor, a sitting member, signed while serving under that handbook. The pledge and the handbook cannot both be honored.
So what is Moms for Liberty? It is not a local parents’ club. It is a national political interest group. It has led campaigns across the country to pull books from school libraries, especially books about race, gender, and LGBTQ people. Republicans and Democrats condemn Moms for Liberty.
Now read the pledge itself. It sounds harmless. Parents’ rights. Transparency. Who could be against that? That is the point. The nice words are the wrapper, and the group decides what is inside. This group has already told us what the words mean to them: pulling books, targeting teachers, fighting the schools themselves. Their own pledge page says they have created “model policies” and want boards to “adopt these policies.” So the pledge is not a warm feeling about parents. It is the front door to a national group’s ready-made agenda for our schools. And notice what is missing. The pledge talks about parents again and again. It never once mentions students. Our board serves every student in this county, including kids whose parents disagree and kids with no one to speak for them at all. A pledge like this is harmless the way a blank check is harmless. What matters is not what is written on it. What matters is who you hand it to.
And the group is already wired into local politics. The Talbot County Republican Central Committee runs a regular event series called “Pasta & Politics” and “Pizza & Politics.” On January 20, the committee hosted a discussion about Talbot County Public Schools. The featured guests were sitting school board member Ann O’Connor, who signed the pledge herself, and Jan Greenhawk. In July, the committee’s own flyer featured Delegate Tom Hutchinson, another pledge signer, with “Jan Greenhawk, from Mom’s For Liberty.” Those are the party’s words on the party’s flyer, not mine. And this week, the party’s chair, Shari Wilcoxon, shared a statement from that same Jan Greenhawk on Facebook. The statement admitted that Moms for Liberty publishes the names of school board candidates who sign the pledge, and that its members “support strong Conservative candidates” here. There it is, in their own words. A party committee, a national interest group, and a slate of school board candidates, all connected. In a race that is supposed to have no party and no interest groups at all.
Now look at the other candidates. Emily Jackson, the board president, is running again in District 4. Amy Dodson, the vice president, is running again in District 3. Kate Taylor Logan, a combat veteran and mother of four, is running in District 7. Xavier Rahim, a Talbot County Public Schools alum, is running in District 1. Jackson and Dodson have led a district where elementary reading scores rank among the best on the Eastern Shore. Dodson is a longtime advocate for kids with special needs.
Here is the part that says it all. Emily Jackson, Amy Dodson, and Kate Taylor Logan are parents of Talbot County public school students right now. Their kids are in our schools today. They did not sign a pledge to “protect parents.” They didn’t need to. They are the parents. They show their commitment at the schoolhouse door every morning, not on a form for a national political group.
So let me end where I began. Conservatives belong on this board. Every parent and taxpayer who calls Talbot home belongs in this conversation. This is not left versus right. It is a simple rule that protects us all: the people who run our kids’ schools should answer to us, not to any national interest group, from any side.
Connect the dots. Ask every candidate: did you sign the pledge? And know who you are voting for this year.
Totch Hartge
Talbot County
I am not too familiar with Moms for Liberty but if their agenda is parent involvement and government outreach. These are two things I feel would be very important. When did parents lose their control on their children’s education? Books appeared in school librarys teaching children various ways to have sex etc. I guess they took the place of books on reading, sciences etc.
President Carter made a deal with the NEA in exchange for their endorsement. so the Department of Education was formed. The teachers Union became stronger and the teachers had less input. my oldest daughter spent two years in school in Germany. She missed some very important lessons in math.
Having people run for school board who feel parent involvement and less government would be a very good thing. Maybe the American children would not rank so far down. This is the only country who has remedial courses in college.
Everytime there is a schoolboard election we are treated to paranoia in liberal publications about the national parents’ group called Moms for Liberty. Yes, there is a chapter of Moms for Liberty in Talbot County. My experience with them has been nothing but positive. The Moms provide current information about educational trends especially where parental rights are concerned. They invite elected officials to speak as well as our local superintendent of schools and other Maryland educators. The goal of the Moms is to empower parents by helping them to have informed agency in their children’s education. Why do progressives find parental authority such a threat? Meanwhile, the concern of all citizens should be the ongoing decline of educational achievement in Talbot County Public Schools as well as the growing climate of violence, even in the elementary grades. At one Moms for Liberty meeting, at which school officials were present, I heard chilling parent testimony about violence and chaos in the classroom of a local school. Safety and learning should be the focus of all responsible persons, not conspiracy theories about a mothers’ group.
Liberals are not the ones banning books and shutting their pants because they think teachers are performing sex change surgeries behind parents backs. Talk about some weird paranoia nonsense. Just saying
Not only is the group wired into local politics as the article says, they are wired into national politics at the very top. The Moms for Liberty website has a big picture of Donald J. Trump with “Join President Trump and thousands more by signing our parent pledge”. Mom’s for Liberty is pushing Trump’s agenda.
See https://www.momsforliberty.org/pledge/
Mr. Bruce, thanks for posting the link to the Moms pledge. It is beautifully worded and any candidate or elected official who would take that pledge has my vote. And yes, Trump is part of the movement to return authority to parents. It should be parents. not schools, who make healthcare decisions, etc, for their children.
Maryland requires school children to receive two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for enrollment in kindergarten through grade 12. You say in your comment “ It should be parents. not schools, who make healthcare decisions, etc, for their children.”Does that mean that the decision to vaccinate for measles, etc., should be taken away from schools and left to parents?
Schools can and should make rules for health and safety for students. Parents are not objecting to those rules. What parents are objecting to is when some schools provide graphic sexual information to students without first notifying the parents, which has happened in Maryland. Or when the school provides students with contraceptives without the parents’ knowledge and permission. And other intrusive actions which subvert the rights of the parents.
Talbot doesn’t need chaos on the School Board like is happening in Somerset County.
The Somerset County School Board was taken over by Moms for Liberty.
Quotes from Baltimore Banner articles.
“A MAGA-aligned school board had tried unsuccessfully to fire Tasker-Mitchell over the summer for insubordination, but Maryland education leaders intervened, first reinstating her and then ruling that she had been fired without due process.”
Ten months later, she – a Black woman – left.
“After trying to fire the superintendent, rejecting a new curriculum and seeking to eliminate school librarians, the Somerset County school board has gotten an earful from the public.
It reacted by limiting the way people can interact.
The board shut down public comment, retreating to online meetings “due to the increased violence, vitriol and disruption in the boardroom,“ Somerset County school board Chairman Matthew Lankford said in an email to a parent obtained by The Banner.”
Happening now.
“An Eastern Shore school board wants an 18-and-over rule for young-adult books
Classics like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Little Women’ might be off limits to most students under the proposed policy.”
A report from NPR on Moms aka Mary Kay Kay Kays: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/07/1180486760/splc-moms-for-liberty-extremist-group
The pledge that was signed reads;
“A parent has the fundamental right to direct the education, medical care, and the moral upbringing of their children.” If a parent does not possess these fundamental rights then who does? The Talbot County School? The State of Maryland? Who? I personally would not vote for anyone who doesn’t support these basic rights of parents.
The local Moms for Liberty is not vitriolic in any way, shape or form. They invite the TCPS Superintendent and Board to meetings to share information. I have attended two meetings and both were attended by Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. The meetings were well ran, peaceful and engaging. As a matter of fact the School Board was the guest speakers at one of the two that I have attended. It was at this meeting that it was brought to light that our county did not have a grading policy (and still does not) and that students were being assigned 50% of a grade just for writing their name on their assignments. Getting 7% more correct earned them a passing grade of 57%. Let that sink in. The current school board has allowed students to graduate under this grading system. They have failed students under their watch. I’m glad that the Moms group brought this and other important things to light. Our students deserve better. Yet the author of the article that maligned Mike, Anne and myself sang praises to Emily Jackson and Amy Dodson. This county has over 60% of its students who aren’t proficient at grade level for reading and over 50% are not proficient in math. In eight years this is what they have allowed.
Signing a pledge to protect parents rights is not an oath to give up my right to think and vote without being influenced by any organization. I will vote for what is best for our students, parents and teachers. With over 40 years of volunteering in this community my record for wanting the best for our children and community speaks for its self.
Dear Lisa, just a few points of clarification.
1. MOST students in Maryland are not proficient at grade level. The Maryland standards are intentionally rigorous. A bit like baseball where no one bats 1,000. Here is a link to the MCAP data for the state of Md: https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/documents/2026/0728/2025-2026-mcap-results-a.pdf, where you will find for example, middle school math proficiency across the state is only 18.1%. So your statement about proficiency % is perhaps misleading.
2. Your calculation on “writing their names” is likewise misleading. The goal was to provide a way to recover from one bad exam. (we did not want the average of an “F” & an “A” to still be an “F” (which is what the average of a 0 and a 100 = 50% would be). However, in any case, the school system did make a change for this year. You can read all about the new grading policy Here: https://www.talbotschools.org/live_feeds/12829528. It is a well researched, discussed, and approved plan that offers a good approach to balancing student accountability and always offering a pathway to improvement.
3. As to the M4L “pledge”, it raises so many thorny issues. Parental rights are not absolute, just like individual freedoms are not absolute.
After reading Totch Hartge’s Letter to the Editor, I went to the Moms for Liberty website to review the pledge these three school board candidate signed and discovered it reads as follows, “A parent has the fundamental right to direct the education, medical care, and the moral upbringing of their children.” If a parent does not possess these fundamental rights then who does? The Talbot County School? The State of Maryland?
How could any school board member or candidate disagree with this statement?
I would like to know if school board candidates, Emily Jackson and Amy Dodson, agree with this pledge statement. If so, I believe they should go on the record and admit is publicly. If not, Jackson and Dodson should say what institution has the fundamental right to direct the education, medical care, and the moral upbringing of Talbot County’s children.
The claim Mr. Hartge makes that agreement with this parent pledge statement also means any candidate who made this pledge supports every policy position of the Moms for Liberty organization is absurd.
Many Americans pledge allegiance to the flag of the United State of America. However, this does not mean they support every policy of America’s federal government.
It seems clear Mr. Hartge is trying to harm these three candidates by attempting to define them and align them with a national political agenda in hopes they will be defeated in the upcoming school board elections.
The three school board candidates Mr. Hartge’ maligned in his Letter to the Editor (i.e., Anne Rosen, Mike Butler and Lisa Hayes) are well-respected, long-term residents of the Shore who served as professional educators here in Talbot County. One of the three also served as a coach here in the county and continues to serve as a substitute teacher to give back to students.
Mr. Hartge should be ashamed of his inane Letter to the Editor and the illogical associations he makes therein.
Jesse Franklin
Totche Hartge/Talbot Spy:
I am writing in response to the above article that took the liberty of writing about me, what I stand for and who I stand for and with. ALL without contacting me or asking me personally. That at best is shoddy and one sided journalism. The correct approach would nave been to reach out to me and ask me the important and hard questions, but the Talbot Spy instead chose to pass judgement on me and tell its readers who I am. Thankfully, after over 40 years of volunteering and raising my children in this community many people know me beyond the very narrow box the Talbot Spy tried to place me in.
I will take this opportunity to put to right the things said about me. It is true that I don’t currently have children in the school system, but I do have five grandchildren who all attend TCPS schools just like their mothers (my daughters) and their fathers did. My husband and I intentionally chose to live in Talbot County in the Bay Hundred area because we wanted for our girls to attend TCPS schools. I also have had a childcare business in this county for 35 years, and during the pandemic I partnered with our local school system to make sure that “my” students in grades prek-8th grade had the best virtual school experience possible. Notice I say “my” students? That’s because when a child is entrusted into my care they become “family” someone that I care about and am invested in not just while they are with me but to also prepare them for their school years and beyond. I currently have second generation children in my care meaning that I took care of their parents. ALL of the parents in my group are glad that I am running for this position as are many teachers and members of our community. People who know me know my heart and that I will always stand for what is best for our students and community.
Next, let’s please do address the Moms For Liberty Pledge. Is there a reason that you did not share the pledge that was signed? Most people would not take offense for what the pledge states. Had you shared the pledge in its entirety you would have also had to share that it states signing it does not mean the person is endorsed by M4L. I signed the pledge because of what the pledge actually says: that I will protect the rights of students and respect the rights of parents in their children’s education. It wasn’t an endorsement on my part of every position taken by every person associated with an organization. It was a commitment to the families and students I would serve. Period.
You pointed out that M4L “campaigns across the country to pull books from school libraries, especially books about race, gender, and LGBTQ people.” Your words stop short of WHY certain books are chosen by this organization, perhaps because it doesn’t fit your devicive narrative. The books that have been brought to light by M4L are books that cross the line of what is age appropriate for the children that will access them, or because they contain wording that could create hard or bad feelings like racism among students, or because they contain graphic wording and/or pictures that no one should want a child exposed to. One such book that I personally know about that was in a library in this county contained a secondary story line that challenged the right of adults/parents to say it was wrong for a minor child to be involved in a relationship with an adult. Moreover it was a father of a minor child’s friend. The minor and adult engaged in a relationship that led to the minor becoming pregnant. The minor hid the relationship and pregnancy from her parents and ultimately terminated the pregnancy which was also hidden from the parents. I would like to know where the Talbot Spy and the writer of the above article stand on minor students having sex with adults? Are you in favor of this? This story line was “wrapped in a package”( to use your words) of an lgbtq storyline. I personally know people from the LGBTQ community and I can assure you they would not support this book. The book was shared on social media platforms when a student took it to their parents. The public outcry was fast and totally against this book. Is M4L a perfect organization? NO Have some chapters made choices that I would never support? Yes But our local chapter that is headed up by a retired TCPS teacher, coach and Board Staff Support employee is totally parent, student and education focused. Am I a member? No Am I endorsed by M4L? No Would I sign this pledge again if I’d known the Talbot Spy would write such a one sided article against me? YES I WOULD. I am here to represent ALL students, parents and teachers to the best of my ability.
As far as Emily Jackson, goes she has served two terms, or 8 years, as has Amy Dodson. Under their watch we have seen more than 60% of our students score non proficient in reading and more than 50% are non proficient in math. They have had 8 years and we have seen decline after decline in proficiency testing of students. It is past time to bring fresh ideas and leadership to the TCPS school board. You point out that their district is among the best on the shore. But you neglected to mention that it’s because of a reading initiative that was created and piloted in my district. You also neglected to share it has only been done in 2 of the 7 districts which has left 5 districts of students not served in the area of reading below grade level and that intervention begins in grade 3. That means 3 years of lost time to help students. Why was the district that they serve chosen over others? I’m sure parents would like to know. Xavier Rahim is an awesome young man from a wonderful family and I am proud of him and his siblings for the young people they have grown up to be. His mother has much to be proud of in him and them. As far as Kate Logan goes she is indeed a veteran and lists still being in the army to date, she has lived here for approximately 2 years. You neglected to share any background information about Mike, Anne or myself in an article that you claim is not right or left nor politically motivated. Let me introduce you to us. Mike, Anne and myself are the “A Team”of Talbot County. The “A” is for Accessible, Accountable, and Academics first. Mike and Anne are both retired TCPS teachers who are beloved by former students, parents and staff members. Mike is a well known coach in the area. Anne’s husband ran a very successful restaurant in my district that gainfully employed many adults over the years. Anne is a former Character Counts Coach and PTO President. All three of us are Conservatives, and tax payers in the county. I have been in early childhood care for 35 years, and I have been involved in our community as a volunteer for 40 plus years. I was instrumental in helping Dr Karen Salmon to bring the 1:1 laptop program to TCPS, I was a founding parent of the Safe Homes Network pledge launched by Talbot Partnership and worked with them to get the legal age that a minor in Talbot County could serve alcohol in our county raised from 13 to 18. I have been a GSUSA leader and Camp trained coordinator, a PTO President, Chairwoman of the SMHS After Prom Committee, President of The Bay Hundred Education Foundation that raised over 3/4 of a million dollars for local schools, I have coached softball and currently serve on the Homerun Baker board as a Player Agent, served as a Youth Leader for 14+ years, I was a Character Counts Coach for grades PreK thru High school on the District 7 campuses, formerly belonged to the SMVFD Ladies Auxiliary, I am a member of the Tilghman Elementary School Grandparents club and I have been invited to help with the reading intervention program at SMES and will be accepting that invitation. I am also a recipient of the TCPS Volunteer award. To quote a highly respected young woman from our area I am the “quintessential team mom not only to my own children but to all that I come in contact with.” I will bring that same “team mom” spirit to the TCPS school board as an elected member. Oh, and I have lived in the District 7 area for more than 52 years.
I could go on but I believe you get the picture.
May I respectfully suggest in the future that you strive to write more balanced articles for your followers and trust them to be able to make their own decisions based on whole truths not opinions.
You did a disservice to them and to us with the article that you produced. I can assure you that Mike, Anne and myself would have gladly answered any questions that you had you contacted us.
Great article Totch! Thank you
Totch, Take off your tinfoil hat. Parental rights mean just that, the rights of ALL parents to direct the medical care, education, and upbringing of their children. It’s not an evil conspiracy. Do you have children? If you do, didn’t you want the right to make medical, educational, and other decisions about their lives when they were minors? Did you go into the schools and talk to teachers and staff about what you hoped for your children? Did you share your family’s values and beliefs? When I taught, parents and teachers worked together and it was helpful for me to see what parents thought.
That’s parental rights Totch. It’s not a grand conspiracy.
As for Moms for Liberty Talbot, we have made a point of having the Superintendent of Schools come speak to our membership in meetings. I meet with her occasionally one on one and we share thoughts and ideas. And, yes, conservatives, independents, Republicans and Democrats have come to our meetings. We don’t all agree, but that’s okay too. We held the ONLY school board candidates’ forum in 2024. We are doing another one this year. We invite all candidates and we give them all equal time to answer questions they are given ahead of time. If you are interested in attending, let me know.
As for the candidates who signed the pledge, it’s just the statement that they support parental rights. And, if you are wondering, parental rights include student rights because parents and families are a major part of students’ lives. We don’t force board members votes on anything. And, unlike certain Democrats, we don’t boycott their businesses or shun them if they decide an issue differently than we might think they should. We truly believe in free speech and the right to think for one’s self.
As for the candidates that signed our pledge. Two are retired career educators and one is a career day care provider and volunteer in the schools. I had the honor to teach for thirty years and, during that time, I had Mike Butler (District 4) and Anne Rosen (District 3) as colleagues. I didn’t know Lisa Hayes (District 7) but I have gotten to know her in the past year through meeting her and also from the support and love she gets from the members of the district she wants to represent. All three of the candidates are independent thinkers. It’s shameful and arrogant of you to say otherwise. All of them have children, stepchildren, and/or grandchildren who went to or are attending Talbot County Public Schools. Anne has a disabled child. Mike retired and then returned to the school system as a substitute teacher when he discovered subs were badly needed. Lisa has volunteered in the schools for decades.
And none of them have asked me or my group how to think, form their opinions, or vote if they get in office. It’s sad that you don’t know that but judge them anyway.
As for Anne O’Connor, she signed the pledge but somehow, she is still able to think for herself and vote according to her own views. Weird huh?
They say people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Perhaps it is important to mention that Emily Jackson (District 4) is the husband of Democrat Central Committee Chairman Phil Jackson. Does that make her partisan? You’ll have to decide that for yourself.
You should also know that Emily has come to meetings to talk to our members and answer questions. Does that change your opinion of her? It shouldn’t.
I don’t know Kate Taylor Logan. I also don’t know Xavier Rahim but Butler, Rosen and Hayes all have very good things to say about him. I’m looking forward to meeting him and to having a young person on the Board. Amy Dodson and I have talked and emailed back and forth on issues. I have a lot of respect for her and I believe it is mutual. How’s that for extreme partisanship Totsch?
So I guess what I am telling you, Totch, is that your letter belies your stated message. You talk about how these candidates, Moms for Liberty, me, and other people who support parental rights are wrong. You seem to think we don’t care about students and teachers. I hate to tell you this because it might upset your mental apple cart, but we talk to teachers and students all the time about the schools. They tell us their experiences and thank us for being here.
You accuse us of being ultra partisan, but then, upon examination, your letter shows that you are so partisan you can’t even meet and talk to the people you are demeaning. You can’t even come to a meeting. You troll people on Facebook. You act like you are above all the partisan shuffle.
Based on your letter, you are a huge part of the problems Trot like what we saw last week in Talbot County. I hope I am wrong and I hope someday you and I can sit and have coffee and share ideas.
In closing, I would not want to live in a world where parents and families weren’t deeply involved in their children’s lives and have the ability to guide them and make decisions about them. That truly is the heart and soul of humanity.
Jan Greenhawk
Former TCPS Teacher
Moms for Liberty Talbot Chapter Chair
Mr. Bruce, thanks for posting the link to the Moms pledge. It is beautifully worded and any candidate or elected official who would take that pledge has my vote. And yes, Trump is part of the movement to return authority to parents. It should be parents. not schools, who make healthcare decisions, etc, for their children.
Thank you, Jim Bruce, for bearing the truth that MFL is wired into national politics at the very top. Moms for Liberty is truly pushing Trump’s agenda.
Also, thanks to Totch Hatge for an informative and well written article.
Thank you to Mr. Hartje for providing this very important information. It is so important for voters to be informed.
Please, everyone, go to an M4L meeting and talk to these people. Go to the Candidates Forum. You will find that they truly have our children’s best interests at heart. You will find that you (wherever ever you land on the political spectrum) have common concerns. Only by engaging with others in a curious and open way will we solve our problems. Demeaning and degrading people you don’t even know only makes it harder to find that common ground that allows civil debate and finding solutions with which the vast majority can be comfortable.
I am for the kids, every kid. I am for diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. I am for teaching kids critical thinking skills, and life skills. It is my opinion that groups like Moms for Liberty tend to make our world smaller, and meaner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moms_for_Liberty
I think the primary concern is that M4L has candidates sign a pledge. SIGN A PLEDGE! Think about that. The only pledge I take is the pledge of allegiance. I am pretty sure that is sufficient. Neither political party makes me sign a pledge. Oh sure I can support them, but I am not contractually beholden to them. Why then does M4L make candidates sign a pledge? hmmmmmmm.
It seems to me that the goal of education is and should be to teach children how to think for themselves and not follow in lockstep with what their parents believe and to introduce to them to all history, geography, math and so on by using multiple sources and not to promote a single belief system by leaving out the parts that a single parent or a group deems to be unfit for their child like “I don’t want my child to know what the settlers did to the Native Americans so let’s not teach that” mentality. When I was in school years ago we had the PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) which simply tried to help the teachers rather than hinder what they taught since the teachers did and have now gone to school to learn how best to teach young minds. Let them teach. Don’t let a national political group determine what will be taught in Talbot County schools. If you disagree, then just speak up at a meeting. As for vacincations, let’s look to PA. which recently had two unvacincated people die from measles. Is that what anyone wants to force the schools to admit children who are unvacinated so that they can come to school sick and then get others sick too? We need a balanced and thougthful group of people on our school board and not a one sided point of view running the show.
Thanks to Totch Hartge for illuminating the involvement of Moms for Liberty in our local school board. I’ve been waiting to see if there will be a public forum for all of these candidates so that we can know where they stand on important issues such as vaccination, curriculum design, and book banning. The Spy has done us all a service by publishing the letter and comments, but these candidates need to put themselves on the record so that everyone can see their affiliations, commitments, and “pledges.” Does anyone know of a forum in the works? If not, I am working with a group of concerned citizens in District 7 who would like to organize one. Who among the candidates would be willing to attend and share their views in person with voters?
This is a campaign speech that’s attempting to put lipstick on a dire situation.
* Only about 30% of elementary students are proficient in math. * At the middle-school level, math proficiency falls to only 13.8%. * High-school math proficiency is only 20.9%. * ELA fewer than half of elementary and middle-school students are proficient. * High-school ELA rises to 59.7%.
Yet the graduation rate is 97%.
This is a colossal failure of the children in Talbot County.
Time for Emily Jackson, whose husband Phil Jackson is the Chairman of the Talbot County Democrat Central Committee, and Amy Dodson to retire.
We need new leadership to actually educate the children of Talbot County.
Elect Mike Butler, Lisa Hayes and Anne Rosen if you want to bring back actual education for the children.
This claim against these sitting board members is ludicrous and the comments here are clearly from people who have never worked with them. Amy cares deeply for all students and their success. Amy works tirelessly to be engaged and informed by her constituents. Amy has been doing an outstanding job on the school board and should be re-elected to keep the momentum going. Luckily we don’t have to rely opinion pieces. If we watch or attend board meetings for more than 3 minutes we will get the full picture. Both Mrs. Dodson and Mrs. Jackson supported removing the 50% floor grading and it has in fact been removed.
I have attended board meetings and what Ms. Wilcoxon is claiming is completely false.
The following individuals are members of ‘Moms for Liberty.’
Chuck Callahan- TC Council
Anne Rosen- Candidate for TC School Board
Michael Butler- Candidate for TC Board of Education
Shari Wilcoxon- radical member spreading misinformation
Definition:
Moms for Liberty is an American political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBTQ rights, race and ethnicity, critical race theory and discrimination. Multiple chapters have also campaigned to ban books that address gender and sexuality from school libraries. Founded in 2021, the group began by campaigning against COVID-19 responses in schools such as masks and vaccine mandates. Moms for Liberty is influential in the Republican Party.
The group has been described as a conservative, populist, reactionary, extremist, and far- right group. The group has been criticized for harassment, deepening divisions among parents, making students’ education more difficult and having close ties with the Republican Party rather than being a genuine grassroots effort.
Ms Jefferson, none of the people you listed are in our membership. Please know the difference between being allowed to post or comment on a group’s Facebook page and being a member of that organization. Please don’t spread lies.