Clovis schools candidates should know basic civics

I’m writing concerning the positions of candidates to the Clovis Unified School District School Board.

Matt Castiglione has publicly stated that since Obama has taken office “it’s been all about equality...has trickled down now into the educational system.” Assembly Bill 1266 was signed by the California legislature under the tenure of Gov. Jerry Brown. Additionally, equal protection is provided by the 14th Amendment and is not a recent development.

Jacob Belemjian, another CUSD board hopeful, stated that the district needed to implement “separate but equal” facilities to accommodate students. Plessy v. Ferguson, which established Separate But Equal was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

As a voter in the city of Clovis, my concern is that the legislative not abridge established civil liberties which will embroil the district in costly litigation at the taxpayers expense.

Superintendent Janet Young has done an exemplary job maintaining the position of CUSD is to protect all students. The working relationship between the board and the superintendent is critical to promote progress.

I am encouraging voters to identify which candidates can pass an eighth-grade civics test and not engage the district in a no-win legal battle over precedents that have already been established.

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Clovis schools candidates should know basic civics."