Jeremy Rodden
Non-Partisan | Virginia
Candidate Profile*
Liberal
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jeremy Rodden
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
Chesapeake City Public Schools School Board Special Election, At-Large Seat
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA, BA, Religion & English Writing, 2003
Holy Family University, Philadelphia, PA, MA, Education, 2010
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
CASA, Volunteer, Chesapeake Little League
Volunteer, Pride in the Peake, Co-Founder
Chesapeake Public Schools, Member, Equity Council
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
LIBERAL (5)
Free Thought Equality Fund PAC
*LGBT Democrats of Virginia
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
L. Louise Lucas
Chesapeake Democratic Committee
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
Chesapeake Democratic Committee
Catalyst for Change, Inc.
Sen. L. Louise Lucas, VA President Pro Tempore
Center for Freethought Equality
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
ActBlue (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
- Statement of Organization - 1/24/2022
- Reporting Period of 1/21/2022 - 3/31/2022
- $124.68 in expenditures to ActBlue
- $124.68 in expenditures to ActBlue
- Reporting Period of 4/1/2022 - 6/9/2022
- $65.11 in expenditures to ActBlue
- $100.00 expenditure to Chesapeake Democratic Committee
- Reporting Period of 6/10/2022 - 6/30/2022
- $11.70 in expenditures to ActBlue
- Please note: The following information was received by iVoterGuide after panel evaluations occurred and is for additional educational purposes only.
- Reporting Period of 7/1/2022 - 8/31/2022
- $63.90 in expenditures to ActBlue
- $63.90 in expenditures to ActBlue
- Reporting Period of 7/1/2022 - 8/31/2022
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
All appropriate medical information needs to be presented and available to all citizens.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Disagree
Human life begins at birth.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Agree
Free enterprise is essential, but government regulation is necessary to ensure a fair and equal playing field for all.
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Choose not to answer
This question is very broad and I would need more specific examples in order to make an informed opinion.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Government both has a duty and an interest in fully funding public education. An informed, education populace is in the best interest of the entire community. Public education is the greatest equalizing force we have as a society and it needs to be funded at the level we fund our military.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
In the same way students should be free to speak about being a Humanist, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or any other Religion (or lack thereof), I agree with this statement. Student expression of free speech and religion, however, is where the line needs to be drawn. Adult-led prayer or religious indoctrination is 100% against the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Disagree
The language of this question is leading. If a school district is providing a service or paying for a service, they should always have the right to ensure they are working with individuals or organizations that will not harm the children under their care: physically or emotionally. This includes protecting LGBTQIA+ students from those that would discriminate against them.
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Strongly Disagree
Students should be allowed individual expression in the form of prayer. This should never extend to Adult-led prayer, however.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
To ensure policy is enacted that provides equitable educational access to all students and to ensure funding
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
The Administration of the school, in conjunction with education leaders who specialize in curriculum development.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
When they personally attack people or fail to display proper decorum.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
This list shifts throughout a K-12 model. What is appropriate priority for a Kindergartner is not the same as what is appropriate priority for a 12th grader. As such, the only two items on this list that aren't and shouldn't be taught by educators in K-12 are Critical Race Theory and Political Activism. The rest are all important and appropriate at different stages of education.
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Strongly Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Disagree
These programs should be standard, with parents having the option to opt-out if they so choose. Forcing an opt-in program is harmful to children with disengaged/absentee guardians. An opt-out program allows parents to reserve parental right without harming other children who would benefit from these programs.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Neutral
This is also a complicated question. Without federal dollars, especially as States and Municipalities have reduced their own funding *due* to federal dollars. This question requires fixes at all levels of governments beyond what 500 characters can cover.
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. America was built on slavery and racism. Ignoring that is detrimental to moving forward and improving as a society.
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
This includes the option to homeschool or enroll their child in private school, as well as the ability to opt-out of certain curricula if they so choose. However, they do not get to make those decisions for other people's children (eg, book banning, curriculum banning).
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Humanist. I believe in the power of logic, science, and reason in order to guide our decision making.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Agree
While there are complications for children who transition post-puberty to ensure a fair playing field, any child who transitions pre-puberty should be treated exactly the same as a cisgender child. For those who started or finished puberty prior to transitioning, medical experts should be consulted and their recommendations be followed.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Parents are the first line of responsibility, but schools also bear responsibility. As with all forms of education, age appropriateness for topics vary. Concepts like consent for touch, which is ultimately a sexual concept when extrapolated later in life, can be introduced to children at a very young age. Then, much like a subject like math, it becomes a core idea that can be built upon when the child is older.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
These are all appropriate, again, at different stages of emotional development. Concepts like consent can begin at the youngest ages. Sexual orientation and gender identity can also be introduced appropriately to younger children, simply to demonstrate that there are a variety of family structures. Stating that someone may have two mothers is a societal norm that children should not be ignorant of. The other items need to begin being introduced in middle school and higher to prepare children with accurate and proper knowledge.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
America was founded on principals of logic and reason, not Christianity.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Agree
Either written consent of the parent or at the behest of the courts in situations where proper medical care is not being allowed resulting in abuse or neglect of the child.
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Disagree
School officials are responsible for both the education and the safety of children. Refusing to use preferred names or pronouns is actively harming a child and results in increased rates of suicidal ideation and suicide amongst trans teens.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Agree
There has been no widespread voter fraud in the recent history of this country. Creating additional barriers to voting is voter suppression. Picture ID is not necessary to preserve the integrity of our elections.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No.
A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Neutral
I put neutral here because some people conflate "moral values" with "religion", which is incorrect. A person's religion should not be relevant and is established in Article VI of the Constitution. However, a person's moral values is highly relevant and needs to be evaluated based on their actions. Faith or lack thereof is irrelevant to that evaluation.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Liberal
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/community/chesapeake-residents-pride-in-the-peake/291-99d1ebce-50b4-4b80-b13c-bf9b241fa529 This news article is about the first Pride event in our city, founded by myself and Amber Bowmer.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am a father of 3 school age children (including one transgender teen), published author of middle grade fiction books, experienced educator, active volunteer in my community, and unabashed Humanist.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Disagree
More guns make schools less safe, not more safe.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
When determined to be appropriate by science and medical professionals for the benefit of public health and safety.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Agree
When recommended by a majority of science and medical professionals, mask mandates are appropriate.
