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SAFE SCHOOLS, SAFE STUDENTS
"Every child deserves to walk through that door without fear. That starts with us."
Safety isn't a talking point — it's the baseline. As a member of Osceola County's School Safety Committee, I've been in those rooms, asking those hard questions. I'm running to make sure every child walks into school knowing they are protected, seen, and secure.
Before a child can learn, they have to feel safe. That is not a preference or a philosophy — it is a neurological fact. When students are worried about their physical safety, their brains are not in learning mode. They are in survival mode. And no amount of curriculum improvement, technology investment, or test prep will change that.
As a member of Osceola County’s School Safety Committee, I don’t come to this issue with talking points. I come with firsthand knowledge of what our schools are doing, where the gaps are, and what it takes to close them. I’ve sat in those meetings. I’ve asked the hard questions. And I know that the families of District 3 deserve a board member who will keep asking them.
What I Will Fight For:
- Fully funded, evidence-based school safety plans that go beyond locked doors — including threat assessment protocols, staff training, and clear emergency communication with families
- Transparency with parents about safety policies — no more finding out after the fact
- A school climate where bullying, harassment, and intimidation are addressed swiftly and consistently — not swept under the rug
- Stronger coordination between schools, law enforcement, and mental health professionals so warning signs don’t get missed
Safety is not just about preventing the worst-case scenario. It’s about building the kind of everyday school environment where every student feels known, valued, and protected, from the first bell to the last. That is the standard I will hold our district to.
WHOLE CHILD WELLNESS
"Behavior is communication. When we listen to what our kids are telling us, everything changes."
Our kids are carrying more than backpacks. As a marriage and family therapist who provided services in schools and homes, I've seen what unaddressed mental health looks like in a classroom — and I know what it costs our children when we ignore it. It's time our schools treated emotional wellbeing as essential as reading and math.
In my years as a therapist working with children and families — inside schools and inside their homes — I watched the same thing happen over and over: a student labeled as a behavior problem who was actually a child in crisis. A kid falling behind academically who was actually struggling with anxiety, trauma, or instability at home. A teenager who looked fine until they weren’t.
Our schools are not equipped to handle the mental health load our students are carrying. Counselor-to-student ratios are too high. Referral processes are too slow. And for too long, mental health has been treated as a luxury add-on instead of a core part of what it means to educate the whole child.
I am running to change that — and unlike most candidates who say the same thing, I have the clinical training, the classroom experience, and the personal conviction to actually do it.
What I Will Fight For:
- Trauma-informed practices district-wide, so that every teacher and administrator understands what stress and adversity look like in a child’s behavior
- Faster, clearer pathways for students to access mental health support — without stigma, without red tape
- Community partnerships that bring licensed mental health professionals into our schools as ongoing resources
- Education for parents on how to recognize signs of struggle and connect their children with help
A child who is not well cannot learn. A child who is not seen cannot thrive. And a school system that ignores this is not really educating anyone — it’s just processing them. District 3 deserves better. Our kids deserve to be treated as whole human beings.
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