Melissa Power, BCS Board of Education Member

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Last night was my first board meeting as an elected Board Member. I want to thank all of the teachers and support staff who shared their perspective with the Board.

In addition, I was gifted the book: A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door by Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire. It looks like an interesting read... but I will need to make sure that I am balanced in getting a well-rounded perspective.

So, after I read A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door, I will be reading Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation by Pete Hegseth with David Goodwin.

Many of you have asked when I will be sworn in.

At the next School Board Meeting on June 21st 7 p.m at Spring Mills High School, the last item on the agenda will be to swear in the Board of Ed members.

I would love to see everyone there!

I want the public to know that I have been ALWAYS on the front door step of school safety and protecting our kids and analyzing our protocols and response. This has been the forefront of even when I started. The recent conversations and serious discussions I've had with school officials have been productive and very fruitful with their open mindedness in improving the safety of our children. More discussions are to be had but regardless, I wanted the public to know they are open and are listening to us. Rest assure we are doing everything within our capabilities to improve on school safety and they are takeking our concerns seriously. Thank you School officials for the open conversations ~ Sheriff N.A Harmon

I have requested that the BCS Board of Education come together and meet regarding school safety. I have also requested that the MC Police Chief and BC Sheriff be included in that meeting. The BCS Board of Education has an obligation to the students, staff and our community to ensure that all measures to prevent a shooting or other violent attack has been explored and taken.

As a mom and previous school employee, training with local law enforcement will increase effective prevention as well as resolution should there ever be an incident like the ones that we have seen across the country. My heart aches for the people who have been impacted by any school shooting. My cousins went to Columbine High School around the time of that school shooting. My husband's family lives near Sandy Hook, CT and I have seen the impact in that community.

We need to do better. It's time that we come together have the necessary conversations.

Well this race was actually pretty enjoyable and quite the learning experience for me. Although I didn’t win a seat on the Board of Education, I had the honor and wonderful pleasure of meeting so many new people of this county and panhandle. I am so thankful to those who supported and challenged me. Congratulations are in order to Patrick Murphy Elect Jackee Long for Berkeley County Board of Education Damon Wright for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education and Melissa Power for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education !

I look forward to taking a more active role in the school systems and being there to support those who are willing to stand up for the rights of Berkeley County citizens. Make no mistake folks, I’m just getting started. Peace!

Barring some major developments, looks like we may have our friend Melissa Power joining the board. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who came out and supported our campaigns. Parents - volunteer, join committees and councils, get involved any way you can. Support the good teachers and staff - encourage them to remember their passion and stay on for our children.

It appears that I won a seat on the BOE!

First, thank You Lord for preparing this road and guiding me along the way.

Thank you to all who came out and voted.

I know that there were issues that several people experienced. Provisional ballots were used. I do not know how many but I believe that they still need to be counted.

I would also like to thank those who supported me financially, prayerfully and all the behind the scenes work. Without you, I would not be able to take a stand for We, the People.

Tomorrow, 5/10, is the Primary Election for WV. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. If you do not know where your precinct is, please click on this link to confirm where you are to go to vote as long as you have registered.

And remember to vote for hope!

Vote Power, Bost, Hurst and Waskow for the Berkeley County Board of Education.

West Virginia Secretary of State - Elections - Search My Registration / Polling Place Online Voter Registration

Berkeley County Schools is currently operating under a directive that maligns the rights of parents.

Should a child want to change sexes, or identify as an alternative gender, the school staff have been instructed to not call the parents. Yes, you read that right. In fact, it is a new directive from the Biden Administration (see link below).

So if a biological boy identifies as a girl, the student could then be included as a girl in going to the bathroom and entrance into girls sports. Most parents would see this as mixed gendering. However, the school would recognize the biological boy as a girl. Thus, giving them the ability to answering inquiries from the community and parents that schools are not mixing genders.

Gender dysphoria is a medical diagnosis (see link below). Our school system has already been allowed to mask our children with disregard to what parents desired. Now, they have been given more leverage to make another medical decision without parental regard. My question to you, Berkeley County, is where does it stop if the incumbents and co-chairs of the diversity council, who are a part of and active participants in the progressive educational agenda, are elected to office?

It’s time that we put boundaries back in place. The federal government is not the parent of our children. Our children are not for sale.

Vote for Hope! Vote for Power, Hurst, Bost and Waskow.

May 10th is Tuesday. Make your voices heard!




https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/resources/dear-colleague-letter-transgender-students

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/symptoms-causes/syc-20475255

Home | Powerforboe On May 10th, 2022, Berkeley County residents can choose up to FOUR candidates for the Berkeley County Schools Board of Education. This is an unusual year and we need to make this election count in many ways. There is a clear distinction between two different ideologies and the direction by which we,...

I voted early today!

Have you voted yet?

When I worked in the public school system, I specifically worked with the students who had behavioral difficulties. Some of their behavior was a result of their lives outside of school. Some of their behavior had to do with a learning disability or difficulty understanding a concept.

I remember one particular student who was incredibly capable. However, every time we got to math class, he would throw his book or iPad, put his head down or even leave the classroom. Soon, he realized that if he did this type of behavior at just the right time and keep it going he would be able to get out of math.

I thought of him as I read this article. What if we have been doing restorative conversations all wrong? I ask that you read this article and consider the concepts that this Principal put into practice at his school.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49558/a-deeper-look-at-the-whole-school-approach-to-behavior

A Deeper Look at the Whole School Approach to Behavior - MindShift Before helping kids better engage with learning, teachers at one middle school needed a lot of help managing student behavior. Principal Michael Essien found a solution in the "push-in" method, which kept students in class while counselors worked through disruptive behaviors on the spot.

Each of us have that one teacher that we can remember who impacted our life in a huge positive way. Mine was Mrs. Kellman. She gave her wisdom freely. She had dedication to keep improving her teaching style and the experiences her students had in the classroom.

To all of the Mrs. Kellman's out there, thank you for what you do!

Who was the teacher that impacted your life?

Su***de and self harm increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. For girls aged 12-17 years old, it increased 51% according to the CDC (link below). So why is there a book on the bookshelves of our High Schools that not only discusses su***de but also self harm? What are we doing by allowing this type of book where it is so graphic in detail that it shares how "delicious" it is watching the white porcelain tub turn pink?

I would like to say that this is the only su***de or self-mutilation scene in the book. But it isn't. There is even a scene where a character walks in on another individual who is lying on the floor, appearing to be peaceful and an empty pill bottle next to them. The character walks out of the room. Doesn't go get help. Doesn't try to revive the individual on the floor.

This book is in our high schools. Spring Mills, Hedgesville, Martinsburg and Musselman. If your child or teen is struggling, please see this link for some helpful information: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teen-su***de/art-20044308

CDC Study: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7024e1.htm?s_cid=mm7024e1_w&ACSTrackingID=DM59196&ACSTrackingLabel=Suspected%20Su***de%20Attempts%20Increased%20for%20Adolescents%20and%20Young%20Adults%20During%20COVID-19_DM59196&deliveryName=DM59196

I want to formally endorse
Christian Waskow for Berkeley County WV Board of Education

Melissa Power for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education

Travis Bost for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education and

Hurst for Berkeley County Board of Education.

As a proponent for local control. I am extremely impressed with the ideas, character and principles of these individuals. I have no doubt they will exceed expectations in their position of trust. Berkeley County needs a regime change in many offices but none are as important as our board of education this election. It is vital we participate in our civic duty and vote for these candidates this cycle!

It’s so interesting how people lie just to try to get their candidate that they support ahead of others.

I not only volunteered in public school classrooms but I also was EMPLOYED by a public school system. I worked for several years as a Substitute Teacher AND Paraprofessional. I did teach. Sometimes it was with a class of 25 students and sometimes it was one on one. I worked on lesson plans. I helped with IEPs. I was certified in Crisis Prevention Intervention.

The fact that it was posted by another teacher seems interesting… almost like they don’t consider substitutes or Paraprofessionals as teachers when that is just one aspect of the many roles that they have.

Student success relies on all people working together and not seeing one set of individuals as superior than another. Why is it then that they discount or dismiss my experience? Why is it they they have not talked to bus drivers? Why is it that they don’t know what custodians, aides, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals and secretaries are saying and experiencing? What are their priorities?

Plagiarize is defined:
1) to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

2) to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

I will let you judge the pictures… my post was done 3 days prior to the other. But one question I ask, if a potential Board member can plagiarize, why couldn’t students? How does this bring excellence?

First is the actual portion of the video from the forum referenced in the subsequent pictures. This portion of the forum is where I show how CRT has it’s tentacles in our schools…

Ms Pulskamp was kind enough to type up the forum for reading pleasure. She uses first person in most of the answers the candidates and myself gave during that forum… Except… If you go to picture #10, what I said was reduced and facts were removed… facts are facts. No matter what, you can’t hide them. Listen to the video and then look at pic #10.

Btw, no matter how much people deny it… I now have solid proof that CRT is in our schools. From a teacher herself. Keep watching for that info coming soon!

More parental control means more local control. More local control means more teachers can actually do what they went to school for… teaching!

Teachers want support from parents. Parents want to be able to support the teachers. No one wants to be each other’s enemy. There is a way to bring us all together.

At this moment in time… as a fellow candidate, who I respect greatly, phrased it…

If the current path is working, vote in the incumbents and those who are a part of the system...

But if you are hoping for change, vote for different people (Power, Bost, Hurst & Waskow).

Young Americans Want More Parental Control Over Education By 2-To-1 Margin, New Survey Finds — News and Analysis —Young Americans Want More Parental Control Over Education By 2-To-1 Margin, New Survey FindsBy Ben Zeisloft•Apr 25, 2022 DailyWire.com•FacebookTwitterMailBen Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images Young Americans are overwhelmingly in support of more paren....

If you see us on in front of Gabe’s on Route 9, wave and honk! We will be here until noon.

Great News!

I have had enough donations to get radio ads started. Let’s keep this momentum going!

Consider donating to my campaign:

Click here to Give now to Power for BCS Board of Education by Power for BCS Board of Education When I worked in a different publi...

Ibram X. Kendi, a Critical Race Theorist, was a speaker at the 2021 AFT National Conference. AFT has endorsed four people in our Board of Education race who deny that CRT is in the school system.

I’m curious if those candidates understand that the group who endorsed them also advocates for the teaching of CRT?

Oh, and yesterday, Kendi has come out and said that Republicans are white supremicists.

Links in the comments.

Jesus is ALIVE!

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak and share my platform with the NAACP. During that event, I was asked some very specific questions: 1. What is CRT to you? 2. What is the definition between equity and equality? 3. Do you believe CRT is in Berkeley County Schools?

Obviously, from a previous post as well as my platform, I am not an advocate for Critical Race Theory (CRT) and I am not a fan of the disguise that CRT has when it comes to the Inclusion and Equity Policy that the Berkeley County Schools currently maintains (see comments for link to the policy). Take for instance the definition of equity in the policy: “Equity – practices based on student needs rather than group identity, resulting in positive outcomes for all students.” On the surface, the definition seems innocuous. However, the last statement shows the definition of equity results with positive outcomes for ALL students. This shows that the definition of equity requires all positive outcomes. However, how is anyone able to ensure that all outcomes are positive? This is just another way of handing out participation trophies. This does not take into consideration the initiative and effort that each student must exhibit and put forth to achieve academic success. It lowers the goal and standard by making it look nice and pretty.

Definitions and the meanings of words are important to be able to understand each other. For myself, the issue with the very definition of equity falls on its face with the last portion of the statement: “resulting in positive outcomes for all students.” Outcomes cannot be experienced by all at the same level all the time. That does not work in life outside of the classroom. As I told someone who will likely not agree with me on this issue, the academic bar is lowered. The goal posts for academic excellence has and will continue to move when the equitable distribution of outcomes is the sole focus. Definitions act as a compass and need to remain consistent. Without this consistency, the compass can be thrown off and chaos ensues.

With the increased implementation of the Equity and Inclusion Policy, Berkeley County is seeing a decrease in academic excellence (see graphic below and links in the comments). We could say that it is a directive from the State or Federal Government that has done this, but the Equity and Inclusion Policy was created by and for Berkeley County Schools. What is interesting and quite concerning is that Mr. Wright, current co-Chair of the Berkeley County Schools Diversity Council and current Board of Education candidate, stated that the Diversity Council played a big role in the creation of the current policy. What I find even more troubling is that he stated that the Equity and Inclusion Policy currently in place is a “watered down version” of what the Diversity Council had recommended. What does this mean for girls’ sports? Will a biological male be able and allowed to play in the same category as girls? What does this mean for parents because currently there is a directive that administration and counselors are to NOT make parents aware of their child wanting to change sexual identities?

Berkeley County, the choice is yours on May 10th… go woke or demand change.

A promise that I make here and now: if you elect me to be on the Board of Education, I will not ignore an email and I will return phone calls that I receive from the parents, citizens and the community.

Upcoming Dates/Times/Locations for the Forums that I will be participating. I encourage you to attend and ask questions in order to make an informed decision on who to vote into or out of office.

From sunshine to a brief hail storm, lovely day to wave signs!

Melissa Power for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education
Hurst for Berkeley County Board of Education
Christian Waskow for Berkeley County WV Board of Education

Come on out and give us a wave if you are in the area of Spring Mills.

Hurst for Berkeley County Board of Education
Christian Waskow for Berkeley County WV Board of Education
Travis Bost for Berkeley County Schools Board of Education
Charles Horst
Rebecca Dunmire
Tiffany N Wallech
Wendy C. Wilson
Larry D. Kump