NORTH SMITHFIELD – Chris Simpkins, a candidate for the North Smithfield School Committee, outlined his reasons for running and commitment to the district as a parent of two boys who attend North Smithfield Middle School.
“Being deeply involved with our school community through scouts, youth sports and other extracurriculars has helped me to understand that we have a pretty great school system, but we also face some opportunities for improvement,” Simpkins said.
“My children have grown up in an evolving school district through challenging and uncertain times. Having started in pre-school at the elementary school, my older son was in the last class at Halliwell, the first class of fifth graders at the middle school, and now looks forward to attending the high school as a freshman next year.”
“They both experienced the COVID years, virtual learning, and the unfortunate new reality of lockdown drills.Through all of this, we were fortunate to have a school committee that cooperates and puts the kids first. I applaud them for taking common sense measures to keep our schools operating safely through unprecedented pandemic related challenges, for being proactive in difficult situations, and for working collaboratively with the Town Council to keep our schools funded appropriately. As a school committee member, my hope is to continue building on that work and to help our students get back on track after the hardships imposed by the pandemic over the last two years.”
“My campaign can be boiled down to one word – support. Support for our children and a post-pandemic return to academic excellence through increased social and emotional resources. Support for marginalized students through a focus on individualized learning and stronger policies on bullying. Support for additional Career & Technical Education opportunities. Support for parents through open discussions and new engagement channels. Support for our exceptional teachers, administration and staff through appropriate funding, responsible budgeting, and out of the box thinking. Support for smooth governance through teamwork.”
“As increasingly negative and divisive discourse has emerged, it’s more important than ever that we stay
focused on what really matters – providing our kids with a quality education and giving them the support they need to succeed. We can’t do that unless we have some basic respect for each other and a willingness to have honest conversations.”
“I started my professional career 20 years ago when I built RIScholarships.com with the Rhode Island
Student Loan Authority, a non-profit agency. It was the first local website that helped students afford college by matching them up with scholarship opportunities. I still believe strongly in that mission of providing kids with opportunities to advance – through higher education, vocational training, or by fostering other interests.”
“Throughout my career, I worked with a number of area colleges, helping to discover data management
efficiencies and solutions to their administrative challenges.”
“As vice chairman of the Halliwell Review Committee, I helped to spearhead a unique process of community involvement and would like to see more opportunities for meaningful engagement and open dialogue at all levels of local government.”
“Currently, I lead an international team of employees and contractors as the Chief Product Architect for a media research company based in Massachusetts. I understand the importance of relationship building, and the challenges of contracts and negotiations.”
“Families are more tuned in than ever before and it’s important that they feel both heard and reassured that their children are in good hands. With two boys in our schools, I’m invested in our district’s success. I’m ready to put in the hard work the position demands, ready to listen to and consider all opinions, and ready to make sure that North Smithfield continues to be an educational leader in Rhode Island.”
I thank you for your time, good luck in the election.
Mr. Simpkins,
Do you denounce the libeling, slandering, and defaming the character of student’s parents nationally, but especially in our community as domestic terrorists for simple stepping forward to advocate on behalf of their children in opposition of mask and covid mandates, that has and will cause future damage to learning, as well as the hyper sexually charged grooming indoctrination and divisive rhetoric of casting some as “oppressors” and others as “oppressed” based on the color of their skin and not the content of their character in the curriculum? These matters that clearly may not comport with, and may be in direct contradiction to a student’s family, religious values along with their mental/physical well being, and a united community harmony.
Correct they are currently not but CDC is looking into making them, Supreme Court ruled masks cause irreparable harm to kids as do all the current studies coming out. And yes there are sexually explicit books in our library. But the questions were not posed to you. They were posed to the candidate running for school committee.
What in the extremist right wing rhetoric are you talking about?
Do you believe in mandatory vaccines for kids, also do you agree that we should never mask kids again, seeing it has been proven to cause harm to children. I would also like to know where you stand on the pornographic books in the school libraries
– Vaccines are not mandatory, nor is anyone suggesting they should be. Please post a source if you have other information
– Please post source of studies that masking has been proven to harm children
– There are no pornographic books in school libraries
Hope this helps. Maybe we can focus on things that actually matter now that these fictitious talking points have been addressed.