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YOU CAN ALSO FIND AND DOWNLOAD LAFOURCHE RESPONSES AND YOUR CANDIDATES RESPONSES ON THE NEXT TWO PAGES.

QUESTION 1:

Looking forward, would you agree to students being subjected to long-term school closures or forced masking again?

Allison Cressoine: D1
In this instance as we’ve seen before we have to weigh benefit and risks. I think medical professionals are the folks to look to in these instances.

Roosevelt Thomas: D1
No, ”From past experience, the damaging effects on the educational progress have effected students in so many adverse ways that the decision to shut down would have to be truly life menacing."

Shari Champagne:D3
Absolutely not, I will fight for the rights of every child to ensure that never happens again! Our constitutional rights are not negotiable. Regardless what the circumstance may be, we must fight to prevent that from ever happening again.

Debi Benoit: D4
No, I will fight against this ever happening again!

George Don Crowdus: D5
No, There is ample evidence that it was not necessary & actually did more harm than good overall.

Wanda Ruffin-Triggs: D5
Yes and No. Long term school closures - no - unless the area’s are physically unsafe (as many of my buildings currently are) Masked mandates - I understand that we are under a direction of the state and federal government for some issues. As long as we are not violating a state or government issued mandate. I have medically fragile children that I almost lost so I am gonna do for mine what I need to do. This issue caused a mass exodus of elderly retired teachers that were helping us to fill the teacher shortage —from which we have not recovered. So I would hope we could think long and hard before we did anything that slows down the educational process again.

Pam Mayet: D6
No, Looking forward, I believe we will not have to resort to school closures or forced masking.

Clyde Hamner: D6
No, The fear of transmission of COVID was so great that when schools were closed “En masse” we sacrificed a year and a half of childhood development. The effects of masking to avoid the risks of COVID-19 were at best minimal, and masks were disruptive to learning and communicating in classrooms. School closures and forced masking have had an adverse impact on both children’s mental and physical health, education was affected due to learning loss, and there are indications that school closures will have long-term consequences due to social isolation. Now is the time to pursue approaches to mitigate school closures to prevent this in the future

QUESTION 2:

Do you think that K-12 students who are gender confused should be allowed to use bathrooms or dressing areas with those of the opposite gender as their birth gender?

Allison Cressoine: D1
I think in schools every student should be afforded privacy when using the restroom. Therefore every bathroom should have stalls that lock. I’m not sure all of our school restrooms have this basic necessity first and foremost. I think there is a solution to this concern with private restrooms, but if that isn’t feasible for most schools the most efficient solution is to use the restroom that is your sex. If a student feels unsafe going to the restroom they should bring it up to the principal and a solution be reached within the school.

Roosevelt Thomas: D1
No, Separate facilities should be provided totally separate from male and female cis-gendered individuals when possible.

Shari Champagne:D3
No, This is also something I am currently fighting to prevent in our parish.

Debi Benoit: D4
No, I support Jeff Landry fight against this issue and pray that he is victorious in his fight.

George Don Crowdus: D5
No, The recent release of new Title IX directives by the federal government are worded quite broadly, and leave room for MUCH subjective interpretation. However, as a general rule, biological males & biological females should use their respective designated facilities.

Wanda Ruffin-Triggs: D5
No, I say no, more in response to the wording of the question. I feel uncomfortable to label someone else’s child “confused”. But with regard to restrooms, I learned that this is not something we have control over, if the government makes a law we will have to comply. This is an uncomfortable issue for many people. As I understand it, those are not issues that we’ve had in Terrebonne Parish. Additional separate bathrooms have already been made available in jr high and high schools.

Pam Mayet: D6
No, I believe those students who are gender confused should be provided a safe place for bathrooms or dressing rooms..

Clyde Hamner: D6
No, Hindering the rights and safety of students in an attempt to promote and foster student gender confusion in others is not only unconstitutional but mistreatment of all students. Students who acknowledge their birth gender will have their rights slashed while students who claim transgender status will be given unrestricted privileges. The policy defies common sense. Anyone who has gone to school knows that bathrooms and dressing rooms have always been a prime place for student misbehavior, and this will only add to those problems that already exists.

QUESTION 3:

How will you ensure curriculum transparency in your school district, such as parental access to their child’s curriculum or Chromebook?

Allison Cressoine: D1
Parents should have access to their child’s curriculum. As a school board member we can ensure that there is a protocol within each school that gives parents access to their child’s curriculum and we can oversee that it is working properly.

Roosevelt Thomas: D1
Form a committee comprised of Parents and Educators to review curriculum content to make sure there is agreement in what is being presented, considering the best books etc.for greatest success academically and morally.

Shari Champagne:D3
This is one of the reasons I am running for school board . Parents should have full access to all curriculum their child is subjected to. Parents should not have to fight to have access to curriculum, I will begin the fight to change that on day one.

Debi Benoit: D4
As stated above parental online access is currently being implemented. To be released soon.

George Don Crowdus: D5
I would support any reasonable means to grant parents access to their child's curriculum, whether that be through computer access, folders, etc.

Wanda Ruffin-Triggs: D5
"I have a child in school that is a third grader. I have complete access to his entire curriculum and his chrome book and his clever and Google classroom. I can also see the lesson from the online book the teacher is teaching on.

Outside of that, I BELIEVE wholeheartedly that parents should have access to ANY and everything that has been presented or will be presented to their child. I’ve dug into this extensively and learned that nothing can be chosen unless approved/accepted by the state. So the bigger question is why is our state educational administrator allowing age inappropriate selections?

Pam Mayet: D6
Post instructional materials online.

Clyde Hamner: D6
Curriculum transparency can be ensured by keeping parental review policies updated and by providing digital access to instructional materials and requiring that any other supplemental material a teacher gives to children is part of the approved curriculum and is placed in a digital folder accessible to parents and administrators for review.

QUESTION 4:

As a school board member, would you be in favor of a complete audit of K-12 curriculum used in the district to identify and report materials containing CRT, sexual, and LGBTQ+ content?

Allison Cressoine: D1
Yes, I am no expert on these matters. Today I think the LGBTQ+ community needs to be supported and the sexuality of all humans needs to be normalized. All humans need to feel accepted and supported; that’s a simple answer there. As far as CRT, it is a look into the social construct of race in our society. The theory that race deeply impacts our way of life should be explored and examined. As adults today we are looking into these matters now more than ever. Sex education has always been a part of the science curriculum. The sex education portion should not change as students need to learn about their bodies as well as the dangers (i.e diseases) that can come with sex.

Roosevelt Thomas: D1
Yes, There is much disparity in many communities about the efficacy of these materials.They are questionable at best!

Shari Champagne:D3
Yes, This should be standard operation. I have made several public records requests that have been ignored or denied. This would be one option to promote more curriculum transparency and accountability. 

Debi Benoit: D4
Yes, Not sure who could perform such an audit, but open to suggestions.

George Don Crowdus: D5
Yes

Wanda Ruffin-Triggs: D5
Sure. 1) But who who would do the audit? (because opposite groups will disagree on who should do it) and 2) Whether a book should be put in one category or another is going to be up for debate between separate groups of people because it’s subjective. I know this is not the answer that you’re hoping for but again, according to my research this is not a local decision— it’s a state decision.

Pam Mayet: D6
Yes, The purpose of education is to unite people from diverse backgrounds through extracurricular activities, socialization, and education, so if the curriculum is not teaching an understanding of how to live together in a society then we should look at lessons that provide that - not lessons that divide us.

Clyde Hamner: D6
Yes, Achieving educational impartiality can only be created in an environment that embraces transparency. Transparency ensures that the right of every learner to receive the best possible education.

QUESTION 5:

Do you support the teaching of History, to include our country’s founding, founders’ personal sacrifices, pertinent documents such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights, as well as the failure of Communism in the 20th century, to include conditions and genocidal death statistics in countries such as the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, etc.?

Allison Cressoine: D1
Yes, I support teaching all history.

Roosevelt Thomas: D1
Yes.

Shari Champagne:D3
Yes, Yes, as a constitutionalist raised in a military family, I know the importance of teaching an accurate account of history and the greatness of our country.

Debi Benoit: D4
Yes, History is essential to not repeat tragic events.

George Don Crowdus: D5
Yes

Wanda Ruffin-Triggs: D5

Yes, As long as it is factually accurate without omissions of all that made contributions.

Pam Mayet: D6
Yes, I support teaching that supports the reality of the world. We are not living in a perfect world and we need teachings that help students understand how the past has shaped us all.

Clyde Hamner: D6
Yes, These ideals recognize the great freedom, liberty, independence, and individual rights that our nation has stood for since its founding.

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YOU CAN ALSO FIND AND DOWNLOAD YOUR CANDIDATES RESPONSES ON THE NEXT PAGE.

QUESTION 1:

Looking forward, would you agree to students being subjected to long-term school closures or forced masking again?

Marian Ferititta: D4
No, I am opposed to forced school closures and masks mandates.

Shannah Ellender-Yuratich: D4
No, Absolutely not. There was never data to suggest children would be better off locked up at home rather than at school for any reason. Covid-19 has always had a higher than 99% survival rate, with children being the safest of everyone. There was also no data to prove that masks or vaccines were effective in decreasing the spread of Covid. It was obvious all of this would be detrimental to children. Parents should decide if their children wear masks, not schools or the government. Parents should decide if their children get vaccines, not schools or the government. Now we've got to try to fix this mess that was created by the powers that be, not parents or children, in the first place.

Jamie Malbrough: D7 No

Buffylynn Chaptentier: D9 No

QUESTION 2:

Do you think that K-12 students who are gender confused should be allowed to use bathrooms or dressing areas with those of the opposite gender as their birth gender?

Marian Ferititta: D4
No, In Lafourche gender confused students are provided a separate bathroom for their use.

Shannah Ellender-Yuratich: D4
No, Mixing sexes in restrooms and dressing areas is unsafe for all students. I believe students who identify as a different sex than their birth gender should be allowed to use single stall restrooms for their safety and for the safety of others.

Jamie Malbrough: D7 No

Buffylynn Chaptentier: D9 No

QUESTION 3:

How will you ensure curriculum transparency in your school district, such as parental access to their child’s curriculum or Chromebook?

Marian Ferititta: D4
Parents have access to curriculum and Chromebooks if requested. They can also meet with curriculum specialists to discuss specific concerns.

Shannah Ellender-Yuratich: D4
This needs to be taken seriously. At this point, students are all given usernames and passwords to use on all online school accounts. I think parents should be given those usernames and passwords also. Of course, parents should also have complete access to the information and texts used in schoolwork kindergarten-12th grade. This will be extremely hard to do, but I think it's so important.

Jamie Malbrough: D7
The curriculum and chrome books should be transparent. Using technology, such as remind to what is being taught in that week and posting all work to the chrome book. More parental involvement in the classroom and at the school would also bring transparency.

Buffylynn Chaptentier: D9
I will support and vote in support of full access to curriculum and chrome book content to parents.

QUESTION 4:

As a school board member, would you be in favor of a complete audit of K-12 curriculum used in the district to identify and report materials containing CRT, sexual, and LGBTQ+ content?

Marian Ferititta: D4
A curriculum audit is a very labor-intensive task that would take a very long time to complete. A curriculum audit is a very labor intensive project. If it is necessary I would suggest to the superintendent to establish a committee of curriculum specialists and their supervisors, content level teachers and knowledgeable parents to conduct the audit.

Shannah Ellender-Yuratich: D4 Yes

Jamie Malbrough: D7 Yes

Buffylynn Chaptentier: D9
Yes, I don’t feel there is a reason or place for this content to be incorporated into our children’s learning, especially for our young children.

QUESTION 5:

Do you support the teaching of History, to include our country’s founding, founders’ personal sacrifices, pertinent documents such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights, as well as the failure of Communism in the 20th century, to include conditions and genocidal death statistics in countries such as the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, etc.?

Marian Ferititta: D4
Yes, Our students should know, understand, and appreciate our country’s history. Genocidal issues should only be taught to middle and high school students. (age appropriate)

Shannah Ellender-Yuratich: D4

Yes, Real history should be taught factually without bias.

Jamie Malbrough: D7
Yes, The content needs to be age appropriate.

Buffylynn Chaptentier: D9
Yes, History should be taught as it occurred. It should not be changed or erased to support an agenda.