Supporting 'Education For All' Candidates: Letter

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Basking Ridge resident Bev Darvin Cwerner penned this letter to the editor in response to a letter written by Kirsten Light:

I am writing this letter due to the concerns raised by a recent letter to the editor from a sitting Bernards Township Board of Education member, Kirsten Light, which she submitted as a private citizen to TAPinto Basking Ridge. As a former Board member, serving for almost 10 years, I feel that her personal position shows she lacks a full understanding of the role of a Board of Education member.

Kirsten Light says the current state of the NJ Health curriculum mandate “violates parental rights” and places “too much emphasis on gender identity and expression.” To support her position, she references the American College of Pediatricians, a known fringe group of pediatricians with radical positions and a small membership, which was formed to oppose positions of the respected American Academy of Pediatrics. Her claim, based on data from this suspect organization, is that because transgender students are such a small percentage of the population, they should not be recognized in the curriculum. If this is her position, should
we eliminate references in our curriculum to religious and racial minorities or students with disabilities impacting only a small percentage of our student population? She also says the implementation of these standards is “violating the sanctity of family, cultural and religious beliefs of ALL residents.” What about members of our LGBTQ community and their loved
ones?

As a parent, Ms. Light can make the decision of whether to opt her child out of health lessons pertaining to sex education and family life. However, she has been sworn in as a BOE member so she must be upheld to the state of NJ Board of Education Code of Ethics that says ‘’I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools that meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability, race, creed, sex, or social standing.” She should understand her role as one vote of 9, overseeing this process. Ms. Light’s letter ends with “My responsibility as a parent is to make sure that my children are loved, safe, provided for and get what they need to develop into healthy and productive members of society. “ As a parent, I think this is a wonderful priority. But, does she understand her role as an elected Board of Education member is to ensure all students in our district feel the
same?

As a final note, Ms. Light is the campaign treasurer for a slate of BOE candidates running under the name of “For Bernards Children,” the same name she used when she ran for the BOE position. One cannot help but wonder if these candidates hold similar positions? That is why I will be
supporting the “Education for All” candidates (Corrado, Blackman, Singh, and Schafer), who are parents and community members committed to volunteering on the Board of Education in order to ensure a well-rounded, inclusive education for every student in Bernards Township.

Bev Darvin Cwerner
Elmwood Court
Basking Ridge