Columbia Board of Education candidates speak at forum; disagree on gender-affirming closets
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Candidates for the Columbia Board of Education spoke Tuesday night at a forum held by the Boone County Pachyderm Club.
The forum was held at the Grand Cru restaurant on Providence Road in south Columbia.
Candidates for the April 4 election include Paul Harper, John T. Potter, Christopher Horn, James Edward Gordon, John Lyman, April Ferrao and Chuck Basye.
Questions were asked by a representative for the Boone County Pachyderm Club regarding various issues seen throughout Columbia Public Schools.
One topic that caused some contention among candidates was gender-affirming closets for some high school students in the area.
Each candidate’s view on the topic:
April Ferrao: “Nothing really should be being done behind parents backs. Again, educating students, parents are intimately involved in that and it should be a collaborative approach.”
James Gordon: "They are living in a world that we will not fully understand and I want to challenge all of us to embrace that. That's the thing I want most for all of our public education system"
Paul Harper: "It was known by everybody. There's parents (who) support, but it had to go through the school district. It was known. There was nobody hiding it, but it's for all students."
Former state Rep. Chuck Bayse: “Parents are being shut out of a lot of things and it should not be happening."
Columbia School Board Vice President Chris Horn: "This is for kids that come to school who need clothes. This is for kids who lose their homes and don't have anything to wear, so this is a great thing that these students did."
John Lyman: "Parents... I mean this is not a statement about parents being bad or anything, but just being involved and knowing what's going on in your students lives... the closet being available for everyone, excellent.
John Potter: "I think the board did change it for parents to be more involved. But I think it could be easier for parents to access, so parents need to be involved in that."
The last day to register to vote for this election is Wednesday, March 8.
