Change, Challenge, and Creating Safe Learning Spaces

Across the country, families and communities have become increasingly interested in what is being taught in their local public schools, and there has been a dramatic uptick in efforts to restrict or remove content that some find objectionable. Against this context, the role of the local school board to ensure a well-rounded, inclusive education while providing community accountability is more important—and more difficult—than ever. To learn more about the challenges public schools face and the role of families and communities in education, we spoke with two New Hampshire public school educators and school board members. Peter Argeropoulos teaches seventh-grade science at Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua and was elected to a second term on the Manchester Board of School Committee in November 2023. Sharon Giglio was a school librarian in Massachusetts before retiring in 2016. In November 2023, she was elected to a second term on the Nashua Board of Education.

–EDITORS

EDITORS: Tell us a little about your careers and why you decided to run for the school board.

PETER ARGEROPOULOS: Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I have many teachers in my family, and when I was in high school, several teachers motivated me and really connected with me. By becoming a teacher, I wanted to give back to the community, not only helping students progress in their learning but also being part of their support system.

And that’s what I’ve been happy to do over my first five years of teaching. I’m a seventh-grade science teacher in Nashua, and I teach a little bit of everything in the subject. We start the year off with earth science and then go into some chemistry. Over half of our content is life science, then we cover ecosystems and end the year with climate change.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with educators and families to support students’ needs, I’ve seen the effects that outside forces can have on education. I felt there were things that needed to change so that we can continue to support public education. I thought about my community in Manchester, which hasn’t historically been well supported. Believing I could make a difference in a capacity beyond teaching, I decided to run for the school board. I wanted to help provide my community with a public education system that prides itself on making sure all students receive what they need to be successful and that opens doors to whatever they want to do in their future.

SHARON GIGLIO: I became a school librarian in my mid-40s, but I had two totally different careers prior to that. My first career was as a psychiatric social worker, and my second was in the business world for a company that made athletic footwear. In Nashua, I volunteered in my children’s school library and really enjoyed it, so I went back to school for my master’s degree in library and information studies. I became a middle school librarian in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and it was the happiest of all my careers. I retired in June 2016 but worked as a long-term library substitute in Nashua over the next three years.

By the time I became a library sub in Nashua, so much had changed since my children were in school—not only the demographics of our community and schools, but a lot of society had changed. It felt like a whole different world. An increasing number of students in our district spoke a primary language other than English, and they needed a lot of support. The first elementary school where I was a sub in 2016 was very much an inner-city school, and I was totally awed by the dedicated teachers. Some had been there for 20–25 years and would literally bring in coats for the children. It tugged at my heartstrings just how much need there was, especially for funding, and how much need wasn’t being met by either the state or the city.

By the time I retired, I was paying close attention to Nashua’s board of education meetings. I believe there was only one former educator on the board—but two members were basically anti–public education, so watching them was very upsetting. They didn’t seem to want public education to improve or endure, and the way they voted was counter to everything I believed. I’d never seen myself running for public office, but I started to feel I could make a difference on the board. I decided to run in 2019, hoping to unseat at least one of the two. Neither of them won in that election, but I did.

EDITORS: Have you seen challenges in your communities to students’ freedom to learn or teachers’ ability to create a welcoming classroom environment?

PETER: There haven’t been major issues or challenges brought forward at my school or at the school board level. As a school board, we have been briefed on issues of racism occurring in our schools and on questions about our LGBTQIA+ community, but nothing has seriously escalated. We believe it’s important that schools provide safe spaces for all students and that students feel they can be who they are at school and be accepted for who they are. Ultimately, those are the best conditions for learning.

SHARON: I haven’t seen any recent challenges in our district other than the daily challenges of providing a safe classroom environment and making sure students’ needs are met and that they’re being kind and thoughtful. We have a very hardworking board member who diligently ensures that our policies protect children’s right to learn and their right to feel safe in their environment.

But my first two years on the board were very challenging and at times felt dangerous. I was sworn in in January 2020, and COVID-19 hit in March. In board meetings, some parents were angry and accused us of suffocating their children by having them wear masks. Late in the summer, the meetings turned ugly. We had neo-Nazis and the Proud Boys picketing outside, some of them using racial slurs and very negative language. They wanted children back in school no matter what, but they felt that wearing masks violated their civil rights. Some would come to our meetings, refuse to identify themselves as members of those groups, and say terrible things during the public comment session. Parents would sit in the audience and swear at us. We actually had to remove a few people from the meetings. Tension erupted between the groups and some of our parents, and the state police and FBI had to get involved. Nashua police had to escort board members to our cars because of concerns for our safety. Our administration did a lot to support us during that time, and I’m forever grateful to them and to the police for making sure we stayed safe and were able to continue doing our jobs, including voting the way we felt was necessary for the education and safety of the children.

PETER: I attended some of those contentious board meetings in Nashua. I remember seeing the large presence of groups protesting with their signs and the concerned and angry families. I was first elected to the Manchester board the year following the pandemic restrictions and stay-at-home policies, so I caught the tail end of some of that anger as a board member. It was a strange and unprecedented time.

But the thing that amazed me most about those days was the community’s willingness to work together and do what was in the best interests of our kids and our families. Everybody wanted to keep everybody safe. There were differing opinions as the pandemic went on about the best way to manage health risks with learning and other issues. But I’m proud of the way that teachers, students, and families responded to COVID-19 and are still working to come back from it, fill in the gaps it created, and move into our new normal post-pandemic.

EDITORS: How do you see the role of family involvement in what’s taught in the classroom? What are your perspectives on families questioning curriculum and on how to facilitate those conversations?

SHARON: I think it’s wonderful for families to be involved in what happens in the classroom, and they should be involved. But as Peter said, schools, families, and children should be working together as partners in education, especially when questions come up.

We have had questions about library books that are available to students—and when I was campaigning for reelection to the board, many people asked me directly how I felt about book banning. I was very forthright: I’m totally opposed. Like teachers, school librarians develop relationships with students and get to know them. We read so many books and book reviews, and we do a good job of knowing what book to put in a student’s hands to help them through a particular problem or situation.

Families certainly have the right to choose what their children can and cannot read, and when I was a librarian, I always worked with them to make sure their wishes were respected. But these books need to be available for everybody, and especially for the children who really need to feel seen and feel hopeful by reading them.

Being able to identify with something in a book is part of what makes children feel welcome and safe in school. And it’s one of the blessed things about the school library: you can offer all kinds of materials to children, and they find what makes sense to them. We have books on psychology and social-emotional learning, books about drug abuse, books about the Holocaust, and books about many other things that affect our children. There are books in the library that I find sad or difficult to read. But students need access to them so they don’t feel isolated.

While I oppose book bans, there needs to be a process for community input. Our libraries have had a reconsideration policy in place for several decades that has held up well. If people think a certain book shouldn’t be in the school library, they first need to read the entire book to select the specific content that they think is objectionable. I had three of those challenges during my career, and no one ever completed the whole process to have a book removed.

PETER: I also think it’s fantastic that community members, and especially families, are interested in education and the public school system. The purpose of education is to help create a society of knowledgeable citizens who think critically and contribute to a strong workforce and successful communities. Of course, there are going to be differing opinions on how to do this, but we can navigate those by establishing a basis of understanding, clear communication, and, as Sharon mentioned, collaboration—all in service of our common purpose. Families should know what kids are learning in schools and how it will benefit them. And we need to be willing to have conversations about how to choose a curriculum that is in the best interests of our students and our families, and therefore our community at large.

People are wondering about indoctrination happening in schools. As a teacher, it’s important to me to always present facts and evidence—we really focus in my science class on claims, evidence, and reasoning—and then let students discuss the facts. I never want to influence a student to believe one thing or another; my goal is to get them to think about things more critically and defend whatever they’re claiming with evidence and reasoning. That’s why, when students question controversial science topics like natural selection, evolution, or climate change, I always start off with a conversation. I let them know that it’s important to understand the scientific evidence. But I’m not here to tell them that their beliefs are wrong or don’t fit into what we’re teaching. Families can have conversations at home about what’s important to them.

We can disagree; that’s normal. And as a school board member, I think one of our goals is helping a community come together and understand that just because we disagree doesn’t mean that we can’t come to a conclusion that’s in everyone’s best interests. But we need to be willing to have positive discourse with each other.

A big focus of mine on the school board is allowing teachers to have the freedom to hold conversations where students feel safe so they can respectfully discuss their understandings and beliefs and ask “Why?” without fear of a negative reaction from their peers or teachers. It’s critical to education and to society to have that freedom to speak as we work together to extend students’ learning. Sometimes the conversations will be uncomfortable, and we’ll challenge each other, and that’s OK. If we’re listening to each other’s perspectives and making sure everyone is heard, these challenges help us grow as we push each other to become a little bit better.

SHARON: Along with being open to communication, I think it’s important that we promote ways for families to be as involved as they can. I don’t think many people are aware that both our school board meetings and our individual committee meetings are televised. I’m currently on the curriculum and evaluation committee. Every third week, we talk about what’s happening with the curriculum and go into detail about different curricular items. We’ve even started recording teachers in their classrooms delivering new curriculum. So that’s a great way for families who are interested (and who have the time and cable access) to find out exactly what’s being taught and what students are learning.

I know not every family has the same access or availability to get involved. But they can still take advantage of opportunities to know what’s going on in their children’s schools. Schools have various ways of reaching out—cultural events, monthly meetings, and parent-teacher associations are just a few—and families can also arrange to visit their child’s school. For those who have the time, I think there’s nothing like regularly volunteering in your child’s school, because then you really get to see what’s going on. I started out as a parent volunteer; it took on a life of its own, and here I am.

PETER: Many schools, like ours, also offer open house events during the year. These are great opportunities for families to meet the teachers who are working with their students and to learn what material is being covered. We also have lots of meetings with families and keep in contact through email and phone calls about what’s going on at school. We use all the assets at our disposal to collaborate and communicate throughout the year and make sure we’re meeting students’ and families’ needs.

To me, that’s what’s so critical about public schools. We serve everybody. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, or what you believe in, we’re here for you. We’re here to help you and your family and provide what you need so that you can learn, become more understanding, and be set up for success.

[Illustrations by Gwenda Kaczor]