In Medical Lake, school board candidates differ on LGBTQ rights, guns in school

Two of the six candidates running for seat 2 on the Medical Lake School Board differ on whether teachers in schools should carry guns and whether LGBTQ students should receive support from schools.

Incumbent Alexis Alexander was appointed to the seat in 2019. He said he is running for another term because he attributes much of his success in life to the education he got in Medical Lake schools and wants to pay it forward.

Political newcomer Wayne Terry is a longtime Medical Lake resident, volunteer wrestling coach and Air National Guard veteran. He said he is running because he is concerned about the future of education.

Seat 2 candidate Michael Gerry declined a Spokesman-Review reporter’s request for an interview.

“Perhaps we can talk if I make it past the primary,” Gerry wrote in a text message, also saying he was on vacation and unavailable for a phone interview.

Candidates Sueann Casey, Anita Hotchkiss and Dolores Peterson did not respond to repeated requests for interviews.

The local teachers’ union also faced trouble getting in touch with some of the 17 total candidates running in this year’s school board primary, said Medical Lake Education Association president Ryan Grant.

Terry said he is worried about curriculum items being “brought into the schools.”

“I’m concerned what they’re going to be learning,” he said. “You know, sex education at such an early age, critical race theory.”

Critical race theory argues that racism is ingrained in modern institutions such as the criminal justice system, health care, education and the housing market. The theory is a decades-old academic framework that fell under scrutiny following the 2020 protests against racism after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Terry went on to say he supports education on history, but disapproves of people being forced to pick sides and discussions that make white people “the bad guy.”

When asked if he believes students seeking gender-affirming care and students who identify in the LGBTQ community should receive support in schools, Terry said no.

Alexander said he believes LGBTQ students and all students should feel safe and supported in the classroom. He also said he firmly supports sex education in schools, a topic that has been divisive among some candidates this election.

“Sex education helped me in my life,” he said. “I support it. But I think parents should be able to opt out of it if they want.”

When asked about guns in schools, Alexander said he is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights but does not believe teachers or anybody in the school should be armed.

Terry said he believes teachers should be armed in the classroom in order to defend students in the case of a mass shooting.

Both Alexander and Terry said they support reinstating public comment periods at school board meetings, an issue that sparked controversy when a former superintendent changed the board policy on public comment.

For the primary election, July 24 is the deadline to register to vote online. Aug. 1 is the deadline to register at the polls.

Primary election day is Aug. 1, and ballots are due in drop boxes at 8 p.m. that day.