Marlene Bronson, a candidate for the Irvine Unified School Board in the upcoming Nov. 8 election, said she felt prompted by her faith to run for the board because she believes in “being a voice for children and parents.”
Bronson, a mother of two adult children, describes herself as a business owner, former homeschooling educator, and an advocate for children with disabilities.
“This [issue] kept pressing on my heart during my daily prayer,” she told The Epoch Times. “It wasn’t something that I ever thought I would imagine doing [but] I felt like the board needed the voice of a parent.”
Bronson said she became concerned after realizing that parents had little power over what their children were learning and experiencing in the district’s schools.
She said she believes the choice of medical mandates should be left up to the parents—and that they should be informed if their children are to undergo medical testing at school.
“A parent should not be overridden by the government,” Bronson said. “A parent has a right to know if their child is going to be taken into a medical exam.”
Bronson also said she’s opposed to the ethnic studies and sex education cirriculums, saying parents should be able to opt their children out of such studies.
“[Sex education] is something parents should educate their children on [in a way that reflects the family’s values],” she said.
Some of the current sex education curricula contains inappropriate sexual content, she said.
“I wouldn’t want children to be exposed [to sexual content] at such a young age,” Bronson said. “They don’t need to be worrying about those issues. What they should be focusing on is reading, writing, math, history and science.”
If elected, Bronson said she’d like to implement cybersecurity systems and filters on classroom technology that block out inappropriate content.
While she thinks the district does a good job of communicating with parents through its website, Bronson also said parents should be in touch with parent groups like Irvine Parents United to stay informed on district and school issues.
In advance of election, she said she’d already begun visiting school campuses and connecting with parents.
“My heart is to … protect the current and future generation to see them succeed,” Bronson said.
Bronson is running to represent Area 2—which covers the south side of Woodbridge, Westpark, and University Park. Her opponents are Debra Kamm and Katie McEwen.
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