We need Ty Hodges on school board
I was bullied mercilessly in high school. It became so torturous that I didn’t want to go to school, and I ultimately considered taking my own life. I was 16 years old. What I did instead was graduate early and leave high school behind. I couldn’t escape the scars, however, and it took many years to heal them.
I understand the damage bullying and harassment can cause, especially for children. With the explosion of social media platforms, bullying in our schools has only gotten more insidious. Combine that with the current political environment where bullying is embraced and promoted, and it puts our children at great risk for harm. That affects all of us in this community.
While my children have long since graduated from WJCC schools, I am more invested than ever in the education that all our children receive. They should be able to learn and grow in an environment that is free of harassment and bullying. That is why it is critical for voters in the Jamestown District to cast their votes for Ty Hodges for school board. He wants to establish an antibullying and harassment committee to provide guidance and data on how to respond to threatening or negative situations and best protect students.
He also proposes expanding mental health resources so students always have a safe, trusted professional available to counsel them through problems and prevent issues from escalating. I wish that type of resource had been available to me.
We can no longer sweep bullying and harassment in our schools under the rug. Ty Hodges wants to confront it head on, and he’s exactly the kind of person we need on our school board. I urge you to vote for Ty Hodges for the sake of students, families and ultimately our community.
Mary Beth Gibson, Lanexa
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Is candidate acting in the schools’ best interest?
I was browsing social media earlier this week and was alarmed to see a photo of the WJCC School Board chair, Sarah Ortego, speaking at a local Republican’s group next to a life-sized cutout of Donald Trump.
This photo raises some serious questions about whether she is acting in the best interest of our schools or if she truly supports Trump’s MAGA agenda that is actively dismantling the Department of Education, cutting resources for special education and vilifying our non-English speaking and LGBTQ+ students.
I decided to do some research into some of the things she has done as a member of the school board. I was horrified to see that she had attempted to ban books from our schools back in 2023, which is something straight out of the MAGA playbook. That same year, she also voted for a policy change that seems like it was written specifically to make life harder for transgender and nonbinary students — another target of the MAGA movement.
And now as we see increased ICE raids all over the country, I have serious concerns about whether Ortego would welcome ICE operating in or around WJCC schools. I would hope she would stand up for our students from vulnerable populations, but her track record would seem to suggest otherwise.
It is for this reason that I believe Sarah Ortego is unfit to serve another term on the WJCC School Board. I encourage every voter who cares about the safety and well-being of our schools to “Say no to Ortego!”
Corinna Caldwell, Williamsburg
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/10/25/letters-to-the-gazette-84/
