Two candidates vying for a seat on the Kansas State Board of Education’s District 1 will appear on the November 3 ballot, each offering a distinct view on parental involvement in public schools.
Candidate backgrounds
Democrat Jennifer Lloyd is an elementary librarian with 28 years of classroom experience. She lives in Ozawkie, Jefferson County, and is endorsed by the Kansas National Education Association, the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council, and several local groups.
Republican Amy Cawvey serves as Kansas chairman of the National School Boards Coalition and previously sat on the Lansing school board. She resides in Lansing, Leavenworth County, and is backed by current board members Connie O’Brien, Danny Zeck and Debby Potter, as well as Kansans for Life, Moms for Liberty and Kansas Family Voice.
Positions on key issues
Accreditation standards: Lloyd supports a review to eliminate duplicate reporting requirements while preserving clear, high standards. Cawvey argues the board must enforce existing standards more rigorously.
Parental rights: Lloyd says parents should have a strong voice and transparent access to curriculum, including the ability to request alternatives when lessons conflict with religious or other legally protected rights. Cawvey emphasizes that parents have the right to direct their children’s upbringing and education, and that those rights extend beyond the classroom door.
Non‑academic programs: Lloyd believes schools should address mental health, social‑emotional learning and character development as supplements to core academics. Cawvey contends such areas are the responsibility of parents, not schools.
Priorities
Lloyd’s top three priorities are protecting local control, fully funding special education, and maintaining high academic standards in literacy, reading, mathematics and overall student achievement.
Cawvey’s priorities focus on increasing student achievement, using accreditation to enforce state and federal law, and safeguarding parental rights while reducing classroom disruptions and ensuring safety.
Assessment and accountability
Lloyd calls for measuring success through student outcomes, including academic growth, graduation rates and post‑secondary readiness, with assessments serving as one data point among many.
Cawvey warns that recent changes to the Blueprint for Literacy standards have lowered benchmarks, potentially compromising college and workforce readiness.
Both candidates say they will work to keep Kansas schools focused on strong academic results while respecting the role of parents in their children’s education.
Original reporting: The Beacon (Kansas City) — read the source article.
