Sandy Evans Launches Re-Election Campaign For School Board

Mason District School Board Representative Sandy Evans launched her re-election campaign on Saturday at a private residence in Annandale.

Speaking before a group of local parents, Evans said she has been a voice of activism for parents, teachers and students on the Fairfax County school board. Some of the issues she said she hopes to tackle during her next term include, making further reforms to the student disciplinary process and increasing transparency on school board matters.

She pledged to advocate for recording and televising Monday working sessions for concerned parents who may not otherwise be free to attend the discussions. Evans said she also favors the creation of an ombudsman position to field questions and concerns that parents may have and to help them find information within the system. 

Evans, who previously headed an activist group that advocated for school start times to be set back 30 minutes, also promised to work towards a later start time for high school students.

“Our teenagers continue to be very stressed,” she said. “They are sleep deprived and they are not able to operate at their capacity. They are not able to do all the things they can do with the full energy and glory that is the teenage years because we send them to school even before dawn.”

Evans argued the school system needs to mandate that parents become involved as soon as possible when their child is suspected of an offense that could lead to expulsion or criminal charges. She said though school officials say they try to notify parents as soon as possible, there have been instances when students have signed confessions without a guardian present.

“I vow to you I am going to fight for parent notification,” she said. “Right now kids as young as 12 can be brought in, they can be questioned and sat down to sign confessions all these before their parents are called. I think this is outrageous and it has to change.” 

Fairfax County Association for the Gifted President Grace Chung Becker and a former neighbor of Evans said that as a private citizen she supports Evans because she thinks Evans puts the interests of students first.

“I think it is important for school board members to focus on the students,” she said. “That is certainly what all of us want, the best possible education for our students here at Fairfax County and I think Sandy Evans is the person who can focus on what the children need and how best to give them that and not the extra administrative stuff.” 

Cindy Whitlo said she is worried about the on going debate to “lope off” a section of her Braddock district schools families and send them off to another school. She attended the meeting to find out more about the decision and wishes she could have Evans as her representative.

“I support (Evans’) ideas and her role in the school board,” Whitlo said. “Some of the sitting school board members are not as open and responsive in our community or dismissive like well we are going to do what we have to do.”

Evans has been a sitting school board member for one and a half years. She took office after special elections to fill the seat vacated by state representative Kaye Kory. She is so far running unopposed in the Nov. 8 election.