Melody Holehan-Kopas
Non-Partisan | Arizona
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Melody Holehan-Kopas
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board, At-Large Seat
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, BA, 1984
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, MA, 1985
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
United Methodist Church, Member, Volunteer, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church
Member, Volunteer, Vitalant, Blood Donor
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
National Freedom Coalition, AZ
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Choose not to answer
This question covers an entire life which has different answers for different scenarios.
What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?
NONE. This is a family issue.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise should be left for the market, supply and demand, and everything else to determine outcomes, not the government.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
College is a choice. Not all people need a college degree to be a contributing member of society. Why should ALL taxpayers pay for a college education? Not every parent sends their children to pre-school. It is not a necessity; it is a choice. Taxpayers should not fund choices.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Teachers should be required to instruct students on mandated curriculum even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Agree
There should not be a curriculum that would have elements contrary to religion, but if they did, no teacher should be forced to teach something that conflicts with their morals. The district should revise the curriculum to fit the general public, which has people of all beliefs. That's why it is called Public Education.
EDUCATION
Abortion and gender-affirming providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
Public Education is responsible for teaching shared knowledge to prepare them to be contributing members of communities. We do this through our curriculum. Public Education is not responsible for molding the children's social beliefs, that is for the parents. If we reach into the job of the parents, what will it be next? Will we be responsible for their after-school time, their religious instruction, their weekend trips to the beach or the mountains? All that is overreach.
Consistent discipline creates a safe and orderly environment, which is essential for student learning.
Strongly Agree
As a teacher for 35 years, I would not use the word discipline, instead, I would use 'classroom management'. It is impossible to teach if you have students who are disrupting the learning of others or endangering other students. Consistent classroom management is essential before a teacher can begin to teach. Discipline is the last resort if a teacher cannot encourage a student to comply with respect for other's personal space and respect for other's right to an uninterrupted education.
Do you believe print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review, including those without children enrolled in school?
Yes
The public pays for the curriculum with their taxes. They should be able to view it. Only those whose children attend the public schools should have input into the curriculum.
Educators should give students a thorough education in America's founding documents and cultivate American patriotism.
Strongly Agree
If we do not teach students our history, and why they should be patriotic, we will become a fracture society. The thing that unites us as Americans, even with all our differences, is the love of country. Those countries whose people have no vested interest in the country will one day cease to exist. If there are people who wish that for the USA, perhaps they should move to another country that would suit them better. It's better to live where you can be proud of where you live.
I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Strongly Disagree
DEI is a nice way of saying it is good to judge people based on their race. That is never the case. All races have people who are good and bad. Judging a person by an attribute they cannot control is wrong. Whatever a person has freedom to choose can be judged, how they were born cannot.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Neutral
As an educator, I have seen funding that helped tremendously with education. I have also seen money used to force districts to comply with programs, policies and procedures that were detrimental.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, American History, Civics, Foreign Language, Art & Music, Physical Fitness, Information Technology, Personal Finances, Vocational Learning.
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Strongly Agree
My children and I attended K-12 public schools, I am 100% a public-school supporter. As an educator, I want EVERY student to get a good education. That may or may not happen in a public school. At times, the public school is fine, but the parents simply prefer their child get a religious education. Other times, the child may have problems with class, or their needs are not met in the local school. My only concern is the education of every child. Where that happens should not be an issue.
Which should students have: equity of outcomes or equality of opportunities?
Equality of opportunity is the goal. Some students may need more encouragement to take advantage of those opportunities, but no one should lose out on opportunities because they don't fit in the right box.
Which type of written parental consent should be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE)? (A) Opt-In. (B) Opt-Out. (C) None.
(A) Opt-In
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My faith is the guide for my words and actions. Thank goodness I know that I am forgiven even when I make mistakes, daily. I try to live my life treating others how I would like to be treated. Even when I don't succeed, I know I can start again tomorrow to live as an example of a person of faith. I don't make the rules or the guidelines, I follow what has been given me. If each of us could decide what is right, there would be 3 billion Gods on earth!
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Parents are responsible to teach sexual education to their children. Parents should decide when to teach it. Some believe pre-school is the right age, others believe when they are able to ask questions about it. I believe they need basic information before their bodies change. There is no right or wrong answer. It may be a better idea to offer the education to parents and present reasons why it should be taught at a specific age. Sometimes the parents just need the information with vocabulary to feel comfortable to communicate it to children. Ultimately, it should be the parent's decision. Schools need to realize they are not in control of every aspect of the child. That is the job of the parents.
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) -- abortion methods and side effects; abstinence; consent; contraceptive methods; human anatomy/the reproductive system; physical and emotional health outcomes; sex acts and pleasures of sex; sexual orientation and gender identity; stages of pregnancy and fetal development
Did not answer
Children have a right to reach maturity without chemical or surgical castration, which would damage their healthy bodies through surgeries and may cause a life-long dependence on cross-sex hormones.
Strongly Agree
Every age-limit we set is determined by brain development. From movies to watch, books to read, a driver's license, drinking alcohol, to buying a weapon, we limit choices until the child/young adult has reached an age that they can make wise decisions. Mutilating the body is a no brainer. After full development of the brain, around 25 years old, anyone should be allowed to make that choice. A child, never.
Children have the right to be protected from sexual grooming (including drag shows and explicit materials) in schools and libraries.
Strongly Agree
If a child cannot watch a movie with sexual innuendos, they should not be exposed to scantily clad adults making lewd movements with their bodies. How could they process that?
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman essential to the formation and sustaining of a civil and prosperous society.
Strongly Agree
Marriage was originally a religious ceremony for a man and a woman to unite for life. The problem is that the government took control of marriage, and it was changed into a government sanctioned and controlled action. That enabled them to change the meaning of the marriage. As a religious person, my vows were sacred. As for the government's definition of marriage, I do not have control. That does not change my marriage.
Parents have the fundamental right to raise their child in accordance with their beliefs and values, including the right to make decisions about the child's education and healthcare.
Strongly Agree
Well said!
Parents should have full and timely access to any and all records, including school and medical records, associated with their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Parents have the right to know what any professional documents about their minor child.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
If we choose representatives to make laws for our citizens, we have to be sure that each citizen has an equal vote in the process. Laws made for us should be made by people we voted for because they align with our values. The only way to prevent some people from having more say than others (unequal representation) is to prove each person gets one vote. Photo ID is viable solution.
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
Women need to be comfortable in their spaces. If transgenders do not want to use the space of their biology, if possible, make a space for them. As far as women's sports, women fought for years to be able to compete in the world of sports. If biological men are allowed to compete in women's sport much longer, there will not be any women competing. If anyone feels strongly about transgender's rights to compete, they can create transgender sports.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
Did not answer
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
Did not answer
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2014 Republican Primary 2014 General Election 2016 Republican Primary 2016 General Election 2018 Republican Primary 2018 General Election 2020 Republican Primary 2020 General Election 2022 Republican Primary 2022 General Election
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?
Conservative
I used to consider myself moderate. The world has gone too crazy to think that anymore.
2ND AMENDMENT
Faculty who are licensed to carry and have had ongoing training should be allowed to carry guns at school in order to respond to an active shooter situation.
Agree
Having locked, hidden guns for licensed and trained gun users could save lives. Schools having signs announcing they are gun-free zones makes them targets. We have a responsibility to protect the students and staff in our schools.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
In the event of a pandemic, school districts can mandate whatever health precautions they deem necessary (including masks and vaccines) to protect students and staff.
Strongly Disagree
School districts are not medically trained professionals. They need to take directives from the Governor who consults with their medical professionals. In the end, parents should be able to choose how to protect their own children.
