Silicon Valley school board candidates divided on LGBTQ+ issues

Candidates running for a Silicon Valley school board shared starkly different viewpoints on LGBTQ+ issues at a forum this week, disagreeing on whether teachers should notify parents about children’s preferred pronouns and gender identity.

There are two seats up for grabs in November on the five-member Franklin-McKinley School District board. Trustees Milan Balinton and George Sanchez are both running for reelection and face four challengers. The candidates with the most votes will win the seats.

Balinton, Sanchez and their challengers — Josue Gonzalez, Joshua Harrington and HG Nguyen — met with voters at a Wednesday candidate forum sponsored by a collaboration of nonprofits, including the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center committee. Candidate Hong Ha Hoang was absent.

“We want people to be mindful about who they’re voting for,” Gabrielle Antolovich, board president of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center, told San José Spotlight. “I want them to know who the candidates really are. Do the candidates represent what they want for their children and their neighborhoods?”

In recent years, Silicon Valley school board races have been stacked with more conservative candidates who look to ban certain books, change curriculum or oppose ethnic studies and critical race theory, which recognizes how racism is embedded in laws, policies and institutions. Some also oppose gender-neutral bathrooms and want schools to contact parents if a student identifies as transgender or changes their name at school, Antolovich added.

Balinton, Nguyen and Sanchez support a new state law that prohibits schools from disclosing a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without their consent — including their parents. Gonzalez and Harrington don’t agree and believe parents should be notified.

“Students have been ostracized, kicked out of their homes and harmed within their own households regarding who they are,” Balinton said. “Teachers create safe spaces in our schools and children need to trust them. It’s about protecting our children and teaching them how to advocate and speak up for themselves, so when they do decide to share that information … they will not feel they will be turned away by their own parents.”

Harrington countered that parents deserve to know what’s happening with their children.

“We still need to think about parents’ rights,” he said. “We are the parents. We need to know what’s happening with our kids. It’s our right to know and guide our kids.”

Gonzalez agreed, saying a child’s safety is primarily a parent’s responsibility.

“People need to communicate with parents no matter what, because that’s their children,” he said. “We need to have transparency for parental rights and the safety of our students.”

Nguyen said she is grateful for her children sharing private information with her, a teacher or professional.

“When you share with me something you can be assured it’s kept confidential,” she said. “Teachers, that is their private information and if they trusted you and they shared with you, you need to keep it confidential.”

Candidates at the forum shared what academic initiatives they’d invest in.

Balinton, executive director of the African American Community Service Agency, said he would invest more in special education and science-related field trips.

Gonzalez, who works in project management, said schools need to stop passing children who aren’t at grade level. He said tutoring should be available during school hours.

Harrington, a real estate business owner, said teachers need to be more hands on with students rather than relying on Chromebooks. Nguyen, a political refugee, mother and wife, advocates for English immersion programs and additional resources for students. Sanchez, a lifelong educator and retired principal, wants to invest in teachers and focus their in-service lessons on student achievement.

Citing safety and privacy, all candidates support schools having accessible, single-occupancy, gender-neutral restrooms for students, teachers and staff.

“We know the issues and some of the challenges our LGBTQ+ kids face,” Sanchez said. “We want to make sure we have services for them. We know about the high rate of suicide among LGBTQ+ kids. We make sure our staff is trained and provides resources … so they feel safe in any schools they attend.”

The school board governs 16 schools across San Jose and includes nearly 6,000 students.

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].