Racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of hatred are causing intense pain and suffering in our world now, across the globe and right here in the Conejo Valley.

Keep in touch, hello@gill4cvusd.com

Some ask, what should CVUSD do about it? This is an important question to ask because it is in the shared spaces of our public schools that we foster empathy and critical thinking skills: empathy to truly see, appreciate, and honor others; critical thinking to ask why things are the way they are and to imagine and create a better world.

Our school district embodies a paradox. On the one hand, our district is full of tremendously skilled, caring professionals giving their all each day. On the other hand, our district is part of a system—public education—that was originally created for the few, not the many. Despite efforts over time to make public education ever more inclusive and fair, vestiges of exclusion still exist.

These exclusionary elements exist, and we are obligated to see them and to dismantle them.

Traditions often bind us together in community. But sometimes doing things the way they were done before makes us unwitting perpetuators of exclusionary practices.

When an English teacher distributes a syllabus containing exclusively white male authors to a class of multi-cultured, multi-lingual, multi-gendered students, what is the impact? What message is sent about whose stories matter, about who gets to tell stories at all?

We have to grapple with the paradox. We have to look at impact, not just intent.

We have to examine the data:

Quantitative data: Disproportionate numbers of our Black and brown students, our students with disabilities, our multilingual students receiving Ds and Fs

Qualitative data: Student reports of hate speech and/or harassment on our campuses

We have to sit with this data and feel uncomfortable.

We have to engage our empathy to sit in the pain and suffering that systemic exclusion causes.

And we have to get busy with our critical thinking skills to identify why this is happening and to create a better way forward.

The first job of the School Board is to set direction for the district. For CVUSD, that means we work, in collaboration with our Superintendent, with district leadership, and with the entire school community, to pursue equity and excellence.

We can’t have excellence without equity. We can’t have a system where some thrive and others merely survive. All means all.

Changing systems is work that requires deliberate focus over time. There is no magical overnight cure. But it is good work. Every bit of hard-earned progress makes our collective experience better.

We seek to do this work because we urgently need to stop the harm, end the trauma. Hatred inflicts terrible wounds. We must make it stop.

But there’s so much more to work for. We deserve a better, richer, safer, freer community—and it is very much in our power to create that community. When the richness of voices, cultures, and experiences in our community are recognized, affirmed, and honored; when we eliminate the justice gap; when resources are shared equitably, then all of us will be safer, more whole, and more free.

We can all help, and we will all benefit.

If you have experienced or witnessed racism, harassment, intimidation, or other acts of hatred within our school community, please report it here: https://conejousd.org/.../Annual-Notifications-Complaint.... You may make a confidential report.

Please speak up, stand up, work for, and insist on the community we all deserve.

We can all help, and we all benefit.

-Lauren

Students for Lauren Gill, written by Brady Craven and Emily Kulhanek

Lauren Gill is working for ALL students. Throughout her campaign, Lauren has shown an unmatched dedication to fighting for every student in our district. She understands that it is currently a tough time for most students, and will work to make sure every kid has their needs fulfilled. Lauren is also aware of the growing need of our district to evolve into the new age, and become a safe space for every student, not just those who identify as cisgender and straight, and are white. She will take every opportunity to make sure that she is hearing the voices of students, and respond to them when they are in need. Lauren believes in creating a strong, unified community, one that is capable of accepting everyone no matter their background. This includes updating our curriculum to include the work of people of color and LGBTQIA+ perspectives. Environmentalism is also extremely important to us students, and Lauren is with us all the way. The issues that we the students want addressed are numerous, but we would like to detail a few that Lauren supports fixing. 

Environmentalism

Part of Lauren Gill’s plan for the school board is to focus on protecting the environment we all live in. She has listened to the voices of us students, and believes it is necessary to address the issues that are so important to us. Included in her plan is the phasing-out of single use plastics. Too much plastic is spent every day on our school lunches, completely unnecessarily. In addition, Lauren will increase the number of recycling and composting programs in our schools. She is so committed to fighting the climate crisis, that she was the only candidate who brought up the issue during the THRIVE forum. As students, we are asking voters and candidates alike to consider this existential threat to our existence.  

Racial Justice

Over the last few weeks, my peers and I have had quite a few meaningful conversations with Gill about what matters to us the most. She reassured us that our priorities were now her priorities, and that she would work vigorously for us students when on the board. Amid the current state of our country, one of the main issues we discussed was achieving racial equity for all groups of students. In our district, it is evident that our black and brown students are not being equipped with the resources they need to obtain a meaningful education. Lauren not only acknowledged this, but promised a solution. One of her first goals is to hire more teachers of color to compensate for the lack thereof currently in our schools. Not only does Gill want to tackle the disparity in teachers of color, but she wants to pass more texts written by black and brown authors. As a sophomore, I have yet to read a book written by anyone other than a white man or woman. Considering the amount of literature we read regarding racial issues, the fact that there are none from the perspective of the oppressed is detrimental to all of our interpretations of civil history. By reading more works from the point of view of people of color, we will all receive a more well rounded and accurate education. On top of building representation for these students, Lauren has pledged to create the most inclusive environment for every single type of student which we need now more than ever 

LGBTQIA+ Education

Lauren’s plans also include a highly necessary inclusion of LGBTQ education. The LGBTQ representation in our literature and health classes is not existent and to students struggling with their sexuality, this can be really harmful. Gill’s plan to introduce a more inclusive approach to a well rounded health education will strongly benefit our student body. Additionally her commitment to adding more LGBTQ works of literature as our core english books will help destigmatize the community, creating a better environment for our students. Lauren has also stressed the importance of adding mental health specialists to our administration to exclusively be a resource for students struggling with personal issues. This would not only benefit our LGBTQ students, but all students of any background, and need. Gill’s commitment to putting us students first is so evident that and should be strongly considered.

-Brady and Emily

Brady Craven

I’m Brady Craven and I’m a Sophomore at NPHS. I’m in ASG, Interact Club, Girl Up Club, Periods With Pride, and I’m a GENup ambassador for CVUSD. I also play club and school soccer and run for the cross country and track teams. I’m committed to fighting climate change and creating an accepting community for everyone.

Emily Kulhanek

My name is Emily Kulhanek and i am a sophomore attending Newbury Park High School. I am in student government, key club, and girl up. I play both school and club softball, and i am very passionate about reversing social injustices in our communities.