Morris Board Of Education Election: Dawn Teresa Parkot

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — It won't be long until Morris Township elects candidates to the Morris School District's Board of Education. Patch has asked local candidates in contested races to share their thoughts before the Nov. 2 General Election.

Morristown has an uncontested election for school board this year, with only one candidate filing to run. Morris Plains does not have an election this year for Morris School District representation.

Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will get published between now and Election Day.

Here is the response from Morris School Board candidate Dawn Teresa Parkot.

Name: Dawn Teresa Parkot
Age (as of Election Day): 49
Party Affiliation: Republican
Family: NA
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: After graduating from Morristown High School, I attended the University of Notre Dame where I was the first student with multiple disabilities in the history of the university. I graduated cum laude in math in four years. In May of 2000, I graduated magna cum laude with a Masters Degree in Computer Science and Engineering.

Occupation: The last ten years, I have been running my own organization, which is called The Climb Organization. As President of the Climb Organization, I am responsible for all fundraising, marketing, and administration for this non-profit. I found my passion advocating for people with disabilities, particularly children. I strongly advocate for human rights for all individuals with disabilities and have lectured at The University of Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. I have testified before both the New Jersey Assembly and Senate advocating for human rights for individuals with disabilities.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: The last 14 years, I have been a Morris Township Committee Member of Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Committee.

1/01 - 12/03 Member, Morris County Committee on the Aging, Disabilities, and Veterans

Campaign website: https://parkotforboe.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

In my view, the Special Education Program needs to be reconstructed. I know the Morris School District talks a good game by saying on the school district website that they “are committed to providing every student with an individualized program that applies best practices in education so that students will feel safe, supported, and secure…” If that was true. Why do I know many parents who must battle for their child’s education, like my parents did for me 40 years ago? Nationally, about 16.4 percent of people with a disability had completed at least a bachelor’s degree. Only 65 percent of students with disabilities graduate high school each year compared to 86 percent of students without disabilities. We must do better. We all know that for people to obtain real jobs, they must have marketable skills. The only way we can do this is through real education.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

It will be more Spanish speaking peers in our schools this school year. Some parents, both black and white, have already complained that the district is too eager to aid struggling Spanish speakers at the expense of their English-speaking children. Local taxpayers have complained that their money is increasingly going to non-English speaking students. Teachers already have pupils in their classes who are at various levels. As a result, the district has invested thousands of dollars on software and computers that allow kids to work at their own pace. This means even more screen time, which can prove harmful to children. Furthermore, an increasing share of the district's wealthy families send their children to private schools.

When a classroom looks to be saddled with a disproportionate number of struggling students, roaming teachers quickly visit to work individually with them. Morris School District should create a tutoring program just for Spanish speaking students after school made up of AP students, teachers, student teachers and parents. Let us be creative. Being creative and thinking out of the box is the key to fixing issues. A student should never get less of an education because their classmates are not at the same grade level.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The reason why I’m running for school board is, because parents of children with disabilities are truly tired of having no voice on the Board of Education. They seek someone who knows and understands their issues. Therefore, I would like to use my skills to advocate for students with disabilities and their parents. As a human rights advocate for the disabled, I have had broad and deep exposure to parents, children and professionals.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Morris School District Board of Education left the disabled out of their document on Anti-Racism & Social Justice. They include in the document, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians. I found that to be very telling. About 1 in 5 Americans have a disability, and 1 in 10 have a severe disability, and they all deal with discrimination in many forms and levels. Ableism, like racism and sexism, is an ugly prejudice that society holds towards its citizens with disabilities. Ableism leads to inferior education for children with disabilities. It can lead to rejection of disabled applicants for housing and employment. It is the root cause of inadequate healthcare for people with disabilities and creates institutionalized discrimination by limiting opportunities that keeps people with disabilities in poverty. Employers must see a worker, including his or her disability, as a valued asset and not as a potential burden. Our overall cultural understanding of how we deal with and communicate with people with disabilities must improve, starting in primary schools. We must celebrate our differences with our peers. If taught at a young age, there would be less prejudice and more social inclusion. Getting children with and without disabilities learning side-by-side allows all to enjoy the strengths and gifts that all children offer. As a society, we are responsible for allowing our differences to be considered.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe in fact-based education. Education takes up over 50% of our tax dollars. I can promise you that I will review each proposal carefully, to ensure we are using our hard-earned money wisely. Morristown High School is ranked #117th within New Jersey according to U.S. News and World Report. In mathematics and reading performance we are 154th in the state. However, The AP® participation rate at Morristown High School is 48%. I must ask myself, what happen to the non-AP students’ education? I do not know how to address this issue yet. I need to do a lot of research if I am elected, because I do not like those numbers. I will focus on a real education for every student, especially for students with disabilities. I will demonstrate to the community that all students deserve the right to pursue their dreams, no matter their personal challenges are. I will support parental control over medical decisions involving students.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I was honored to have a chance to show the great University of Notre Dame that a significantly disabled student could succeed there. I was extremely proud to see that there is now a brand-new building to house the Office for Students with Disabilities, which serves their numerous disabled students. The building even bears the year the Office was started, which was in 1991 -- the very same year as my freshman year. Talk about creating a large footprint on a place.

1/06 - Present Morris Township Committee Member, Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Committee
As a member of this municipal committee, we assure that the township’s public buildings, and sidewalks are within the legal and architectural standards and requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We also assure that public policies and public-school policies concerning access and accommodations have met both the letter and spirit of the ADA.

7/06 – 5/07 Movement for a Better America, Inc., Mount Freedom, New Jersey
National Disabilities Rights Spokeswoman & Contributing Writer
Working for this organization provided me with the opportunity to polish my speaking and writing skills by presenting material on disabilities and disabled life issues to teenagers. I contributed to the organization’s Celebrate Life Seminar Discussion Guide and the planning and development of their Celebrate Life Seminars.

1/01 - 12/03 Member, Morris County Committee on the Aging, Disabilities, and Veterans
While a committee person, I oversaw program operations, wrote program reviews, saw to funds distribution for county programs, and planning the Annual Images Conference for the organization.

6/99-6/2000 Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey
Upon winning the pageant in 1999, I provided motivational and empowerment presentations to an array of audiences. I subsequently co-chaired the 2000 pageant.

6/91-8/91 Frigidaire Company, Home Comfort Products, Edison, New Jersey
Consultant for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
As a paid consultant, I developed recommendations and specifications to bring a 1.2M sq. ft. industrial manufacturing facility into compliance with the then recently passed landmark legislation. Areas of expertise included policy, access, accommodation, and physical renovation. Suggested accommodations were subsequently challenged in court and were found to meet both the letter and spirit of the law.

Research
University of Notre Dame 1995-1997, Research Assistant to Dr. Peter Beery
I assisted in the design and development of a joystick mouse with application potential for many computer users with disabilities. I was the principal tester for this device as well as others.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Life isn't easy... Get over it...

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

• I was featured on television, EWTN. My ability to connect with any audience is remarkable.
• In 2009, I started her own organization, The Climb Organization Inc. Our mission is: To motivate people to pursue their dreams and to educate the world on disabled life issues…
• Various times, I have traveled to Washington DC to speak with college students about life as a American Citizen with disabilities.
• I won the title of Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey 1999. In fact, I was the first pageant winner with a speech disability.
• I was selected for the Para-Olympic Equestrienne New Jersey State Team twice. I was an alternate for the Para-Olympic team in 1991 that competed in Spain.

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