Campaign email: lorilepley21502@gmail.com
Employment: Real estate appraiser, Mountainside Appraisals
Education: Bachelor of Science / Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running to provide parents like me a continued voice in our local school system and to work on a better future for our students.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am a mother of five school-aged children and I have been following and learning about most of the current and pressing issues facing our school board and student families.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I don’t think that it is appropriate to actually “admire” any public leader. It is appropriate for them to do a good and honest job and put every possible effort into their position.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
I believe the most pressing and important issue facing our school board right now is the correction of the trajectory of our students’ learning. We lost a lot of ground to the pandemic declaration and students have lost valuable time and experience in the classroom.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
I am intensely concerned about school safety. We very recently had at least two, major, violent incidents at our schools and one of those ended in a death. I am hearing more and more (directly from parents and students) that students are concerned to even visit restrooms for fear of physical harm. This needs fixed. We should involve experts who can guide our board toward solutions and take it to the parents for input.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
Like most parents, I have been keeping an eye on what is taught in our classrooms. I have noticed that groups from all sides of issues appear to be using our classrooms as a battleground to espouse their varied philosophies… and sometimes, that may mean that they want to modify, influence, or even censor historical accounts. I want a fair and open treatment of history, taught as reality and fact.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
This seems to be a hotbed issue that arises now and then, and I do not think there is a simple answer to this. There are circumstances where books and topics have been considered inappropriate due to sexual content, violent content, and the like, and have been removed by schools and libraries. I believe that this all comes down to age-appropriate exposure to materials and perhaps that is where the real focus needs to be placed. Do we have a legitimate reason to ask these questions? Absolutely.
