Edmiston, Suanne

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
School Board
District:
Phoenix Elementary School District
Age:
42
Occupation:
State Director (policy and legislative professional)
Education:
Juris Doctor, Regent University School of Law; B.A., International Affairs and Political Science, The George Washington University
Religion:
Christian
Biographical Info:

Suanne currently serves as State Director in Arizona for the State Freedom Caucus Network. In her current role, she works with the Arizona Freedom Caucus to ensure that pro-liberty laws and policy are both preserved and advanced in-state. Prior to her current service, Suanne spent more than a decade serving as congressional staff in the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Legislative Counsel. She earned her B.A. in International Affairs and Political Science from The George Washington University and her Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law and spent a year in between programs teaching English in Italy.

Statement:

The stronger our schools are, the better educated and successful our society will be. The public K-12 option is often the most impactful interaction our citizens have with a governmental entity, and therefore its health is critical to students, families and society. I bring experience in education policy, federal service and the law, as well as teaching in a school abroad, which uniquely equips me to assess and address the plethora of significant issues that school districts are facing today.

Survey

Response Legend

  • SSupports
  • OOpposes
  • *Comment
  • −Declined to respond
  • †Declined to respond, Position based on citation
Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Requiring district and charter school officials, including teachers, to inform parents about their child’s social, mental, emotional, or physical health. S* Parents have fundamental rights, including the right to determine their children’s education, health care, etc. Therefore, parents need to be informed by the school regarding all aspect of their child's social, mental, emotional, and physical health.
2. Allowing parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons that offend their personal, moral, or religious beliefs. S* Parents have fundamental rights, including the right to determine their children's religious and moral upbringing. Therefore, parents must always have the option to opt their children out of activities or lessons they find objectionable based on personal, moral, or religious beliefs.
3. Increasing state and local taxes to provide more funding for schools and school facility projects. O* I generally oppose raising taxes. I believe that all government needs to do a lot better at living within its means and budgeting, rather than always seeking tax raises or additional funding.
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs. S* Sexuality related instruction, activities or clubs are fundamentally up to a parent to determine, so therefore signed parental permission is necessary.
5. Allowing all parents to use tax credits and publicly funded empowerment scholarship accounts to enable their children to attend any private, homeschool, or online academy of their choice. S* Parents have the right to determine their children’s education.
6. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries. O
7. Acquiring parental consent for school faculty and staff to refer to students by pronouns that do not align with the student’s birth sex. S
8. Allocating teacher pay raises based upon merit rather than providing uniform salary schedule increases based upon years of teaching or additional credentialing (e.g. master’s degrees). S
9. Implementing policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room based on self-identification rather than biological sex. O
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools. O
11. Requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom. S