Campaign email: rebeccachesner@comcast.net
Website: www.votechesner.com
Age: 63
Employment: Retired school psychologist
Education: Master’s and certificate of advanced study in school psychology from Towson University
Why are you running for the school board?
As a former school psychologist for Baltimore City Schools, I loved working and advocating for my students. During the lockdowns and mask mandates I also saw how many of them suffered from not being in the classroom. The social isolation and loss of academic learning took its toll. The data now coming out is revealing significant delays for our students in academics, cognition, speech and language, as well as social skills. Student mental health has also been impacted. I jumped into this race, though I am not a politician, because I really care about kids and want to make sure this never happens again. I also believe we need to start having our schools focus on education without politics.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
As a former school psychologist, I have spent 25 years advocating for students and plan to do that on the school board as well. Our children deserve academic excellence, including graduating with the necessary skills needed so that they can be productive citizens as adults. Supporting programs that focus on students’ strengths and providing them with opportunities to do that, whether it be volunteer opportunities or learning to play a musical instrument or participating in sports etc., are wonderful ways to address and increase positive mental health and wellness. Finally, I will fight for bringing back common sense policies and transparency to create positive and safe school environments.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I always admired Dr. (Martin Luther) King’s message to judge a person by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. I think he would be saddened today to see that there is a movement that is being pushed in our schools to polarize children instead of unite them.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
There are several issues that I am passionate about, but I will focus on the most important ones to me, including providing transparency to parents, including curriculums that respect their values, promoting safety policies in our schools that work, and let our teachers teach and our children learn, and making sure there are no more lockdowns and mandates.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
Yes, I am a big advocate for school safety. Over the past decade we have seen a culture of lax discipline policies that were politically driven. I will advocate for policies that protect our teachers and students and get students whose behaviors are out of control the proper consequences and supports, such as alternative placements so that they can be helped as well.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I believe in curriculums that promote unity and not division. We have enough polarization in our society and it is not helpful to push school pedagogy that focuses and creates groups of victimhood. We can still teach history appropriately without focusing on identity politics. Public schools should be transparent about their curricula and teach content that fosters a civil society where everyone can flourish.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
Yes, I believe that the sexualization of our children is inappropriate and robs them of their childhood and innocence and that books that do that have no place in our schools. Protecting our children is key.
