FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2022
Contact: press@campaignsharedfuture.org
The Campaign for Our Shared Future’s Statement Following Roundtable Discussion in Ohio on Midterm Elections Impact on Public Education
Cleveland, OH - Today, the Campaign for Our Shared Future’s Executive Director Heather Harding participated in a roundtable discussion with Ohio education leaders and students on the impact of the midterm elections on public education. She released the following statement:
“In Ohio and across the country, self-serving politicians are using our children’s education as a political wedge in order to push their extremist agendas. Through book-banning, classroom censorship, and attacks on our most vulnerable children, political opportunists have been working to dismantle our public schools. Today in Ohio, we had an encouraging and productive discussion about the urgent need to elect officials who will put our children first.
“Next week’s elections will have an enormous impact on the future of public education in Ohio.
Already, students, families, and teachers are working together to overcome challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic while also navigating unprecedented rates of mental health crises, school funding issues, and teacher shortages. But they need support at every level of government.
“It’s important to look at every single election and evaluate whether those candidates would work for our children. Ohio has to elect four members of the State School Board next week. That will set the tone for the school board races in communities all over the state next year. These elections receive the least attention, but they hit closest to home.
“Extremists and political opportunists have their sights set on disrupting school boards and destroying everything that works in our schools. Instead of teaching our complete and true history, they want to ban books. Instead of supporting successful programs like social emotional learning, they want to vilify trusted teachers. And instead of championing mental health resources that educate the whole student, they want to attack vulnerable children. These people only want power, and they don’t care that our children’s futures are caught in their games.
“We are at a crucial moment when we can either decide to elect leaders who will invest in our children and our communities, or radical politicians who will lean into culture wars in an attempt to distract and divide us. I hope that voters will make the right choices this month.”
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