Ashley McCusker
Running for school board in Washington County
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
37
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Yes, I am a registered dental hygienist.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
I received an associate degree from Allegany College of Maryland for Dental Hygiene.
Why are you running for the school board?
I am a parent of two Washington County Public Schools students. I feel we are missing the voice and insight of a parent on the board, and I hope to be that voice. I believe our current school system is broken. I disagree with how we are handling disruptive and violent behaviors, the grading rubric, and feel we are teaching children things that shouldn't be taught in school, or not at the age-appropriate time.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I believe my biggest strength is that I am an “outsider.” This means my judgment isn't tainted with the current status quo. I plan on being a problem-focused board member. I do not want to hear about all the things we are doing right. Instead, I want staff and the community to feel comfortable coming to me with problems and for us to collaborate with them to find solutions, if possible.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
Behavior issues are the biggest issue facing our school board. This is the number one reason teachers are leaving the profession. It is also causing our children trauma while at school. I believe we should have a class in each school where students with behavior issues are taught. Each of these students will be part of the ABLE — Achieving a Better Life Experience — program, so that each child is being taught by a teacher for their grade. The classroom will be monitored by a board-certified behavior analyst specialist so they are able to handle behavioral issues as they arise. I also think a paraprofessional should be there for additional support.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
This is my first time ever running for office, and I am now seeing firsthand the amount of work that goes into running. I think there is something to admire about any public leader who is willing to step up and help their communities.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased education funding to support early childhood education, increased teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it will affect your school district.
I believe the Blueprint has good intentions, and I do like some of the things within Blueprint. However, everything costs money. There is no possible way we are able to fund everything required by the Blueprint. The state has already not been able to give us all the funding it initially intended. Other counties are having the same issue when it comes to funding the Blueprint. I think we, as county boards and the state, need to prioritize what we feel is most important and remove some of the other requirements.
Some school districts nationwide are placing new limits on the use of cellphones in middle and high schools. What do you think should be the policy on student use of cellphones in your district, and why do you support that policy?
I support our current cellphone policy and the steps our Washington County Public Schools are using to enforce the policy. I am OK with students being able to use cellphones at lunch or during emergencies. I believe during instruction time, cellphones should be put away.
Are you satisfied with your school district's efforts to ensure the safety of its students? What, if anything, should be done to improve school safety in your district?
School safety, I believe, is everyone's top priority. I think we should speak with our safety resource officers regularly to see if they spot any weaknesses with our current efforts. On a side note, I believe every school should have a LifeVac in every cafeteria in case of a choking incident.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
Yes, I do. I do not believe we should be distributing sexually explicit or pornographic library books to students. If parents are OK with their children reading these books, they can get them from the public library, or they can buy them.
Some school districts enact policies allowing transgender and gender nonconforming students to use their preferred pronouns while at the same time not informing those students' parents about that decision. What is your opinion of such policies?
I completely disagree with this. Anytime an adult tells a minor it is OK to keep a secret from their parents, a red flag goes up for me. I find this to be predatory and grooming behavior. I, as a parent, am tired of the state feeling they have more ownership over our children than the parents. For those who agree with this, do you truly believe it benefits the children having a secret identity? I think there would be plenty of parents who would support their children, but we can't if we aren't aware.
