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Won’t Go Backward

In 2008, we moved to Guilford based on the excellent school system and continue to trust our kids and their education to the professionals in our town. Today, the Guilford Public school administrators, educators, and Board of Education find themselves under constant attack by individuals who espouse a far-right, fundamentalist ideology under the guise of “parents choice.” They are relentless in their pursuit of spreading fear, and misinformation, ultimately leading to the disruption of learning and progress in the schools and causing our best educators to leave.

One must ask what their end goal is—to have a town with the lowest-rated schools and property values? To create a system where only their beliefs and ideologies are valued? We’re already seeing the impacts of their hate-filled rhetoric on the morale of our teachers and the experiences of our students.

Fortunately, while they are vocal, they are a minority in our town and in our nation. It’s time for them to stop harassing teachers, administrators, and the Board of Education. They want us to go backward. We will not. We will support an education system that prepares our kids for a future that is undoubtedly much more diverse, inclusive, and filled with possibilities.

Banu Ozkazanc-Pan

Guilford