Brandywine School Board - District E Choose 1
*** In 2024, only one candidate has filed for each open seat, so no election will be held in the Brandywine school district. ***In Delaware, school board service is an unpaid elected position with a term of 4 years (5 years for board members elected prior to Dec 2021). School board elections are nonpartisan, and are held on the second Tuesday in May each year.Seven citizens elected by the residents of the Brandywine School District serve as the Board of Education. Each board member lives in a separate election district, but is elected at large. The terms are staggered so that one or two seats on the board come open each year.
Biographical Information
Campaign Phone
2026434125
Campaign Email
jegede.shawn@gmail.com
Campaign Website
http://www.facebook.com/ShawnJegedeBSD
Neighborhood/area of residence
Dartmouth Woods
Are you currently a school board member? (Y/N)
Yes
How many school board meetings did you attend last year?
Every one after being voted on in November
What is your background and how do those experiences and skills allow you to be an effective school board member?
I am an innovative leader with strong experience in the education and nonprofit sectors. My strength is in redesigning and launching initiatives, with a focus on defining and leveraging the value and perspectives of each stakeholder. My experience spans across multiple school districts, government, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to having taught in the classroom and served in school administration roles, I am currently the parent of two high school students in Brandywine School District and an advocate for students with special needs. My experience helps me be an effective board member because I understand how policies can have an effect on the classroom experience and I understand what my experience has been as a parent.
What is the single most important issue facing your school district and how would you address it?
The lack of equity & inclusion between schools and within some schools manifests in discipline rates for students of color and with disabilities, in AP and Honors class enrollment, in athletics, and in academic proficiency. The Parent Council for Parents of Students with Disabilities and various student groups, such as the Black Student Union (BSU) and Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA), help raise awareness and provide spaces for advocacy. However, they are not enough. I recommend that BSD establish an equity & inclusion oversight committee, made up of students, staff, and subject matter experts, that evaluates the District's progress and publicizes an equity and inclusion score card annually.
How should school boards respond to community calls for removing any curriculum topics, subjects, books and programs?
Students have a right to read and learn free from viewpoint-based censorship. While some people believe censorship is new, beginning in response to practices of Critical Race Theory, in reality, the United States has censored public education based on viewpoint throughout its entire history. Such is the reason why I never learned about African-American inventors and the huge influence that African-Americans and women had on developing America as a nation in any of my childhood textbooks. If we are to find success in providing a truly uncensored education for all students, including learning about difficult to accept historic facts, we must establish firm boundaries and not allow communities to get in the way of teaching historic facts.
What kind of mental health supports do you favor in schools and how would you go about advocating for them?
Schools should develop early intervention services for students in need of mental and emotional support. Such services might include peer support groups, individual sessions with a school psychologist, and emotional support spaces within the school where students can find safe space during the school day. Organizations like Sean's House, which is developing Sean's Rooms for use in schools, can be used as partners to provide additional support for students and education for school staff. It is important for all school staff to be trained on mental health first aid and to understand the difference between incidents that require discipline and those that require mental health support.
How would you ensure the district provides equitable access and meets the needs of all students, including traditionally underserved student populations such as students of color, low-income students, English-language learners and students receiving special education services?
As shared previously in a response, I recommend that BSD establish an equity & inclusion oversight committee, made up of students, staff, and subject matter experts, that evaluates the District's progress and publicizes an equity and inclusion score card annually. Raising awareness of our differences is not enough. BSD must measure the effectiveness of equity and inclusion efforts in school buildings and hold administrators accountable for progress and outcomes.
Delaware needs more resource officers in the schools. Scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in school board elections. Yes or no
Support