Vincent Rundhaug
District:
Mountain View School District
Zone:
Zone 3
Candidate Responses
What do you believe is the fundamental role of education?
To teach the necessary skill sets that enable students to become self-reliant, competent and contributing members of their community. And thus are better prepared for adult life.
How would you promote rigorous academic instruction and excellence in your school district?
By advocating for competency based education for students. By advocating exceptionally competent teachers. By advocating a positive parental inclusion into their student's education.
How do you define Critical Race Theory? When implemented in school policies and curriculum, do you think Critical Race Theory differs from simply “teaching history?”
CRT is psuedo history that contradicts truthful history for the purpose of undermining America. It is of Marxist origin and has no place in the school cirriculum.
How do you define Social Emotional Learning (SEL)? Would you encourage the implementation of any SEL model in your school district? If so, which model and why?
SEL is a Federally funded cirriculum that removes customary ethical, moral, and emotional development of children, from the parents and community. It also empowers the teachers to instill those attitudes. Schools should focus on academics and knowledge. Therefore, SEL has no place in public schools.
How would you respond to the Idaho State Board and Department of Education’s recent dissemination of resources such as the SEL Roadmap for Reopening Schools, which argues that schools should adopt anti-racist practices, focus on social justice, and conduct staff-wide implicit bias trainings? Should teachers be required to attend these kinds of trainings?
With a fixed amount of time in a school day, ISB and DOE should focus on academics and knowledge; this is the purpose of public schools.
Should your school district be required to teach a sex education curriculum? If so, should this curriculum include instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity? Should parents and guardians be required to provide consent before their children participate in any sex education curriculum?
A student's body is developing during the K-12 program. It would be appropriate to have a clinical/biological approach of education that explains the effects of puberty during adolescence. Gender identity, sexual orientation, and other sexual related issues may have an academic acknowledgment, but moral, ethical and emotional elements should be left up to the parents and community. Parents should be involved with their student(s) on this issue.
How should school districts respond to the Idaho School Boards Association’s recommendation that transgender students be allowed to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify?
This is a contemporary issue of complexity which involves qualified professionals, parents, school staff, and the student. ISBA is only making a recommendation, and at this point, final authority appears to rest with the school board. I will note here that transgender identity issues are a length process. However, the student of one sex, who suddenly decides to be the opposite sex for that day and enters the restroom of the opposite sex, is acting inappropropriately.
Do you support mask mandates in schools as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy? Do you support implementation of any other policies or practices designed to mitigate the effects of COVID-19?
As it pertains to COVID-19, I do not support mask mandates in schools. It should be a student's choice. As with most viral issues, washing hands, covering mouth/nose when sneezing or coughing; if symptomatic, stay home until recovered.