To the editor:

While researching the Bristol School Committee election, I stumbled into a couple local political groups on social media. I was irritated to see these pages spreading the typical false rumors about “students who identify as cats” and “schools teaching CRT.” I noticed that one group was running its own knockoff school committee debate forum on the day before the official one. I decided to attend. I wasn’t surprised when someone there handed me a 43-page anti-trans booklet.

Four candidates showed up to the off-brand forum: Jessica Almeida, William O’Dell, Richard Ruggiero, and Jarrod Hazard. They all said they wanted public school parents to be able to opt kids out of sex ed classes, something I personally oppose. But none of the candidates spoke directly about the gender identity and race issues that had been a source of tension. All of them, however, seemed to make indirect allusions to those issues at this forum that they wouldn’t the next day. They talked about “not trusting the curriculum” and wanting “more transparency.” I asked the candidates to explain what specifically they didn’t trust about the curriculum during the Q&A.

Jessica Almeida claimed that her concerns weren’t related to any specific issue. However, I learned later that she was not being transparent herself. She has a history of speaking at school committee meetings, not only to espouse her anti-mask views, but also to complain about a school librarian reading a children’s book titled “Were I Not a Girl,” a biography of a trans person.

Almeida had publicly expressed anger that this topic had been discussed with her kids without her knowing beforehand. Once Almeida started running for office, however, she stopped directly referencing this issue when complaining about “curriculum transparency.” Presumably she realizes that being openly anti-trans during an election would bring her negative attention. She still, however, drops hints that like-minded voters can pick up.

I messaged Almeida to ask her what specific issues she had with the curriculum. She still insisted that she didn’t have any specific topics in mind. She ignored my question about whether she supported trans students. When I probed her to explain why she’d wanted a certain book banned in the past, she refused to name the book or say what the book was about in her response. When I asked her again for her position on trans students, she stopped responding.

Almeida was unwilling to be honest about her motivations and own her beliefs publicly. Ironically, her complaints about previous School Committees had been about “a lack of transparency.” If transparency is her main issue, she certainly isn’t leading by example.

William O’Dell was more open about his views. He mostly opposed making accommodations for trans students, despite expressing compassion for them. He also, confusingly, complained about Pride Month and Pride Parades “pushing things too far.”

Jonathan Carney
43 E St, Bristol