Deputy Mayor Landis speaks on the Parental Rights Resolution
I wanted to take a moment to thank Councilwoman Linda Schaefer for running the October council meeting in both Mayor Noonan’s and my absence. Both of us were sick with illness that confined us to our homes.
I watched the meeting on channel 77 and wanted to take a moment to put my thoughts onto paper regarding the resolution authorizing the creation of a parent's bill of rights concerning the protection and education of Ringwood's children. I want to assure the community that this resolution does not change anything about our children's education. It does not put any rules, regulations, or extra undue burden upon our educators. This resolution was a way as a council to validate many concerns brought forth by residents regarding parental rights. On June 3, 2020 the NJ State Board of Education readopted the NJ Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education which included extensive changes to the sex education curriculum. This was done at the height of the COVID 19 emergency without parents having the opportunity to lend input. Furthermore, I take issue with the NJ Department of Education threatening to penalize and punish districts for non-compliance. Our town has always complied with State Education requirements and Governor Murphy still slashed Ringwood's state aid by $1,182,765.00 over a seven-year period.
I am a proud public-school educator and this September I started my twenty-second-year teaching in Paterson, NJ. I have dedicated my life to serving primarily socio-economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse students who are considered at-risk. I believe in the value of diversity and inclusiveness. Rest assured, educators have already been teaching about the importance of kindness, diversity, and respect for all people. We have been teaching that families come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and configurations, and that families mean LOVE. The sentiments I have just expressed allow for children to understand in an age-appropriate and respectful way that no families are the same, and that is amazing and beautiful. Bullying in any form should never be tolerated, but in a socially responsible classroom or household, bullying is very much minimized. Being a member of the school leadership team, I have worked tirelessly with the Anti-bullying Coordinator in my building always being an advocate for our LGBTQ children and staff members. I am proud of the work that is done daily.
With that being said, of all the titles I have been blessed to earn in my life, the title of Mother is by far my greatest responsibility. I will never waiver in my love, commitment, and concern for my own boys and all children. I will also never waiver in my commitment to the fundamental idea that parents are a child’s first teacher, and they know their child better than anyone. As a result, they have earned the right to be an integral part of the process when it comes to all facets of their child’s life and development whether socially, emotionally, academically, and spiritually.
I support this resolution because for me, it is about home rule and ensuring that the people of Ringwood and Ringwood’s independent boards remain in control of our town’s ability to govern which services we provide, the policies we implement, and the ways that we solve our problems locally. Fundamentally, I believe that less government interference is better. I believe that the residents of Ringwood deserve the right to govern themselves accordingly. I also have heard from many of my teacher colleagues in various districts as well as from a broad spectrum of parents that feel they have overall seen an erosion of parental rights over the years and simply want to know they have a seat at the table. This resolution validates their concern.
Also, another very important idea is that I believe a parental bill of rights will eliminate confusion and allow for transparency between school and home. Transparency and increased understanding will ensure that NJ public schools remain the best in the nation as teachers, administrators and parents work together to ensure that success.
I hope that I clearly articulated my thoughts on this topic. I truly hope that once residents have the opportunity to read what the resolution said as written, they will understand that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding it. I am attaching the direct link for people to read. As always if you have further questions do not hesitate to reach out.
Warm Regards,
Jaime Landis, M.Ed
