Ozark board candidates asked about bill to criminalize teachers who support trans students

Correction: The last name of Patty Quessenberry was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.

At the end of a forum this week, Ozark school board candidates were asked about masking and a bill filled by state Rep. Jamie Gragg that would require teachers who support transgender students with a "social transition" to register as sex offenders.

Those questions, asked by audience members came after four candidates — vying for two open seats April 2 — took turns answering a series of prepared questions by Ozark PTA leaders and provided to the candidates in advance.

Their responses showed Patty Quessenberry, the sole incumbent, and candidates James Griffin, Dustin Kirkman and Jason Shaffer were largely on the same page in key areas.

They all supported responsible and efficient spending, efforts to boost student learning, programs that provided life skills or career exploration, and providing the pay and working conditions necessary to attract and keep high quality teachers and staff.

In an introductory statement, Quessenberry, first elected 27 years ago, and Kirkman, a former coach, gave examples illustrating their deep level of knowledge and experience in the district. Quessenberry, who visits classrooms to read books, said she has spent more than 100 hours in schools this past year.

Kirkman, whose wife is an educator, said he volunteers with a local nonprofit to pack weekend meals for students.

Griffin, who along with Kirkman has children enrolled currently, explained how he volunteers at school and interacts with youth as a volunteer coach. He is also heavily involved in his church and a nonprofit. He described himself as, above all else, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Shaffer, who formerly served on the Ozark Board of Aldermen, said he was motivated to run in part due to concerns about spending. He acknowledged spending little time in the schools since his son graduated but noted he will get more involved if elected.

He also said past interactions with school administrators left him with questions.

How candidates view the role of the board

As part of the scripted questions, each candidate was asked how they viewed the role of the board.

Quessenberry, who is retired from Kraft Foods, said as a decision-maker elected by voters, candidates must lead and represent the community.

"We need to earn that trust to do what is best for our students," she said. "We need to build the confidence of the people by the decisions we make for Ozark schools to remain one of the best districts in the area. And I vow to do that."

Shaffer said the role and purpose of the board is to provide "oversight of school administration" and the services they provide to children.

He said the main way to accomplish that is to have "totally transparent meetings" about how the board and the district operates.

"The more information the public has the better they feel about the performance and the job that is being done," he said. "Questions and suspicious are raised when things are not answered in the public light."

Griffin, a retired commander from the U.S. Navy, said the board must be "directly accountable" to the public and be the "go-between" for the public and school leaders.

He said the board must provide oversight to Superintendent Lori Wilson and establish policy, craft strategic plans and vision, and the develop a budget.

Griffin, who also owns a business, said the work must be centered on the "core fundamentals of family values and financial responsibility."

Kirkman, a business owner and former educator, said the board must make informed decisions to represent staff, teachers, students and taxpayers.

"As a board, you only have one employee and it's your superintendent," he said. "You help evaluate and hire that person and make sure that they are doing their job in the school."

He added: "We trust the people that are on the school board to take care of our kiddos and that has got to be a primary focus on your board."

No candidates support return to masking

At the end of Tuesday's forum at the Ozark Innovation Center, candidates were asked unscripted questions and one was their stance on masking. The pandemic started four years ago and in its wake, many districts heeded the advice of local, state and national health officials and required masking for a period of time.

Griffin said he was living in Washington, D.C. when COVID-19 became a global issue, shutting down schools, and they did not reopen for in-person learning for more than a year.

He said the masks created "a sense of fear and isolation" for kids and did more harm than good.

Shaffer said he was adamantly opposed to mandatory masking while serving on the Ozark Board of Aldermen.

"I do find it odd that now people who were forcing masks on us to look back and say 'We didn't know,'" he said, arguing they did not help. "Well, half of us knew and stood up and said 'no.'"

He added: "For me, it was an issue of liberty. It wasn't about safety. You just can't tell an entire city that they have to wear something that may or may not help. It is our decision what we do. It is our decision what we want our kids to do."

Kirkman said masking is another "hot-button topic" he hopes will not come up again.

"The difficulty about science is a lot of times, you know after the fact, right? So you kind of have to live it to figure out what is going on," he said.

As a former teacher and coach, he questioned the effectiveness of masking, especially for young children. "They sit there and touch the mask and then they touch everything around them. So, in some ways, you've just made it worse ... You've made a Petri dish out of the entire classroom."

He said while not a "mask person," he expressed compassion for city and school officials who were faced with tough decisions during a scary, ever-evolving pandemic.

"Are you a fan of the mask? Absolutely not. Is it a decision that the administration made at the time because they thought it was the best for your school? I believe so. Do I want it? No," he said.

Proposal from Ozark lawmaker draws mixed reaction

The candidates were also asked about House Bill 2885 that state Rep. Jamie Gragg, a Republican who lives in Ozark and represents Christian County, has filed.

In the proposal, Gragg argued that teachers or school counselors who provide "support to a child under age 18 regarding social transition" should be charged with a felony and, if found guilty, they will be required to register as a sex offender.

Gragg described "social transition" in the bill as a "the process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expression such as clothing or haircuts that match the individual's gender identity and not the gender assumed by the individual's sex at birth."

The bill received a second reading but has not yet been assigned to a committee, a required step for proceeding.

"I support Jamie Gragg. He is a good representative," Shaffer said before adding: "He is tackling a difficult issue. He is doing it in the manner that he thinks is best. It's hard to say one way or another on this complicated issue other than I trust Representative Gragg."

All four candidates, including Shaffer, said parents should be involved in issues related to gender identity and social transition.

"I know sometimes teachers think they know better than the parent, and maybe they do, but we still have to draw a line sometimes and on these types of issues, I believe the parent is in a better position to make those decisions for a minor child than the well-intentioned teacher," Shaffer said.

Griffin said teachers spent up to 40 hours a week with students and, in some cases, may have a better relationship with a child than the parent. "But that doesn't mean they can replace the parent."

"Some of these issues should obviously be handled outside the school system," he said, suggesting parents or church may play a role instead.

"When the teacher takes on the role, as a parent, that can cause some difficulties. I would want to encourage teachers to focus on the academic piece and refrain from some of these social issues."

Kirkman said as an educator "you have this special place in your heart for the well-being of kids."

"The challenge there is how do you support a kid and where is the line, which this is a major thing," he said.

Kirkman added: "The educator's job is to be there to educate and when you get into something of this magnitude, for lack of a better way to put it, I think that is a parent thing."

Quessenberry admitted she was caught off-guard by Gragg's proposal, especially the requirement that teachers who are convicted would have to register as sex offenders.

"I am not one to judge students and what they choose to do in their lives. That is not for me to judge, as a Christian, that is God's choice," she said. "I am one that believes that a child needs to feel safe in the school district and if a teacher or a counselor wants to help that student and be there for them, I think they should. I do not think that they should cross the line as a teacher to encourage anything."

More: Apparent rift between Springfield NEA, school district casts shadow over board election

Quessenberry, who is vying for her 10th term on the board, said big decisions need to rest with parents. As far as the bill, she questioned if it overstepped the role of districts to set policy.

"We want more and more to be able to run our schools on local control," she said. "When the government tries to step in at the state level, the federal level, trying to bring all these issues, it's like trying to take away from the local control."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozark board candidates asked about masks, support for trans students