Nicole Fitzgerald for District 6

08/27/2026

I talked a lot about the diploma endorsement seals recently. EBR Schools was recognized for receiving 473 STEM seals in the 25/26 school year, the highest in the state. What a huge accomplishment!

The Silver and Gold STEM Diploma Seals honor students who complete one of Louisiana’s five STEM Pathways, demonstrating their commitment to rigorous learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Three Louisiana school systems led the state in the number of students earning STEM Diploma Seals during the 2025–26 school year, recognizing students who completed rigorous STEM-focused pathways:

EBR Schools: 473 seals
Lafayette Parish School System: 172 seals
Jefferson Parish Schools: 127 seals

Congratulations to these school systems, educators, families, and most importantly, the students whose hard work and dedication earned this distinction.

08/26/2026

One common thread that comes up again and again in conversations about our schools is family engagement.

What can the district do about it?
What can individual schools do about it?

Too often, the quick answer is more PTO involvement, more events at school, or more meetings.

Those things have value. But they cannot be the whole strategy.

What about the parent who works during every school event? The family without reliable transportation? The parent juggling multiple children, childcare, or other responsibilities? What about families who want to be engaged but need us to meet them somewhere other than inside a school building?

When I was an educator, I worked intentionally to build family engagement beyond the walls of the school.

I held neighborhood meetings where families could talk about issues affecting their children’s education. I broke down policies into plain language so parents understood what they meant and how to advocate for their children.

I showed up at community events in the neighborhoods where my students lived. I connected families with resources and opportunities both inside and outside of our school.

Because I believe two things deeply:

Schools should be hubs of their communities.

And if we want to be part of a community, we have to be IN the community.

Real family engagement has to be strategic and intentional. It takes time. It requires relationships. And there isn’t one program, meeting, or event that will reach every family.

But our School Board can help shape a district culture that expects us to find meaningful ways to reach families instead of waiting for families to come to us.

This isn’t a new talking point for me, and it isn’t work I’ll begin after I’m elected.

I’ve already been doing it.

I don’t look for the easiest answer to complicated problems. I look for practical solutions, build relationships, and do the work required to make them happen. That’s the kind of leadership I will bring to the School Board.

If this is the kind of leadership and community-centered school system you want for District 6, I would be honored to have you join this campaign.

Learn more and get involved at votemsfitzfor6.com.

Vote Nicole Fitzgerald for East Baton Rouge School Board, District 6, on November 3.

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

We spend a lot of time talking about the challenges facing public education. Those conversations matter.

But good leadership also means recognizing what is working, understanding why it is working, and making sure we continue to build on it.

EBR Schools just reported some pretty remarkable growth in workforce development.

In one year, the number of Industry-Based Credentials earned by students increased 71.3%, from 5,915 to 10,132.

Even more importantly, every district high school increased the number of Industry-Based Credentials earned.

These aren’t just numbers on a dashboard.

Students are earning credentials in areas like computing, healthcare, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality, business, and digital media. They are leaving high school with skills and certifications that can translate into employment, further training, or college.

More than 700 students also participated in Work-Based Learning experiences during the 2025-2026 school year.

This is what it looks like when we recognize that preparing students for life after graduation cannot be one-size-fits-all.

College readiness matters.

Career readiness matters.

Technical education matters.

And giving students multiple pathways to build successful, productive lives matters.

As a School Board member, I want to understand the programs producing results, protect the investments that are working, and continue asking how we make these opportunities accessible to more students across our district.

That’s the kind of informed, student-centered leadership I will bring to the board.

Vote Nicole Fitzgerald for East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, District 6, on November 3.

08/25/2026

Last night, I had the opportunity to join 13 other school board candidates at the Step Up for Action public forum.

I’m grateful for opportunities like this because voters deserve to hear directly from the people asking to represent them.

I was able to share several of the priorities at the heart of my campaign:

Good governance is the backbone of quality education. Our schools cannot thrive without thoughtful, transparent, and responsible leadership.

Accountability at every level. From the boardroom to district leadership to our schools, we have to set clear expectations, measure results, and be willing to address what isn’t working.

Student safety and stability. Students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and secure in their school communities.

Language access and family engagement. Every family deserves meaningful access to information about their child’s education and a genuine opportunity to be part of the conversation.

These aren’t just campaign talking points. They reflect the work I have done throughout my career as an educator, community connector, and nonprofit leader.

I believe District 6 deserves a board member who understands education, asks thoughtful questions, brings people together, and is willing to do the work required to move our schools forward.

Learn more about me and my campaign at votemsfitzfor6.com.

On November 3, vote Nicole Fitzgerald for East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, District 6.

08/25/2026

Last week, I shared about the Louisiana Diploma Seals available to high school students. Over the last several posts, I’ve taken a closer look at each one because opportunities only matter if students and families know they exist.

For the final post in this series: The Louisiana State Seal of Fine Arts.

This is Louisiana’s newest diploma seal, recognizing students who demonstrate sustained commitment and achievement in the arts throughout high school.

To earn the State Seal of Fine Arts, a student must:

Complete 4 credits in the same arts discipline, including music, dance, visual arts, theater, media arts, or culinary arts.

Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA across those four arts credits.

Complete an approved arts-related capstone performance or portfolio demonstrating what they have learned and created.

I love that Louisiana is creating a way to formally recognize students whose talents and hard work may look different from traditional measures of academic achievement.

The arts are not simply an “extra.” They develop creativity, discipline, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and confidence. For some students, they are also the place at school where they discover what they are truly good at and where they belong.

Throughout this series, I’ve shared about the Community Service Seal, Seal of Biliteracy, STEM Seals, Freedom Framework Civics Endorsement, and now the State Seal of Fine Arts.

But there has been one consistent message behind every post: opportunity only matters when students know how to access it.

School board members should understand the opportunities available to our students, ask whether families know about them, and make sure students across our district have equitable access to the courses, programs, and experiences required to earn them.

That is the kind of leadership I will bring to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board: informed, engaged, and always looking at how policy translates into real opportunities for students.

On November 3, vote Nicole Fitzgerald for East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, District 6.

08/24/2026

I, along with several other candidates, will be speaking tonight at the Step Up for Action forum. You can join the event in person and online. I hope you can join us.

08/23/2026

Last week, I shared about the Louisiana Diploma Seals and Endorsements available to high school students. Over these next few posts, I’m taking a closer look at each one because opportunities only matter when students and families know they exist.

Part 4: Freedom Framework Civics Endorsement

This is one of Louisiana’s newest diploma distinctions, beginning with the 2025–2026 school year. It recognizes students who demonstrate a strong understanding of civics and government.

As part of Louisiana’s shift in social studies assessments, high school students now take the Civics LEAP assessment rather than the U.S. History LEAP assessment.

Students who score Mastery or Advanced on the Civics LEAP earn the Freedom Framework Civics Endorsement on their diploma.

State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley explained the purpose behind the recognition:

“Graduating with a strong understanding of government and our nation’s history sets students up for academic success and informed civic engagement.”

I believe strong public schools should prepare students for more than their next class, their next degree, or their first job. They should also prepare young people to understand how government works, think critically about the issues affecting their communities, and recognize the role they can play in shaping those communities.

But there is another piece that matters to me throughout this entire series: awareness.

Families shouldn’t discover these opportunities by accident. Students shouldn’t miss recognition they have earned simply because no one knew to look for it.

School board leadership means understanding the programs, policies, pathways, seals, and endorsements available to our students and making sure that information reaches the families we serve.

That is the kind of informed, engaged leadership I will bring to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

On November 3, vote Nicole Fitzgerald for District 6.

08/23/2026

Last week, I shared about the Louisiana Diploma Seals available to high school students. Over the next few posts, I’m taking a closer look at each one because opportunities only matter if students and families know they exist.

Next up: STEM Diploma Seals.

Louisiana has STEM Renaissance Pathways that allow students to build a focused course of study around a STEM-related field.

Some of those pathways include:
• Pre-Engineering
• Computing & Cybersecurity
• Digital Design & Emergent Media
• Pre-Healthcare & Pre-Veterinary
• Environmental Protection & Sustainability

Without getting too deep into the individual course requirements, there are a few important distinctions:

Silver STEM Diploma Seal: Students complete the core sequence of courses required within an approved STEM pathway.

Gold STEM Diploma Seal: Students complete the Silver requirements, additional advanced coursework within their pathway, and an additional Math or Science course.

TOPS Tech: For students pursuing the TOPS Tech Diploma, the STEM pathways go even further. Students complete the Gold STEM Seal requirements along with an approved Career Readiness course. Jump Start students also work toward industry-based credentials connected to their career pathway.

What I love about these pathways is that STEM does not mean just one thing.

A student interested in engineering may have a pathway.

A student interested in cybersecurity may have a pathway.

A student interested in healthcare, environmental science, digital media, or another STEM field may have a pathway too.

As a school board member, I believe part of our responsibility is making sure families know these opportunities exist and asking the right questions:

Are students learning about these pathways early enough to plan for them?

Do families understand the difference between Silver, Gold, and TOPS Tech?

Are we helping students connect their high school coursework to what they may want to do after graduation?

We already have incredible opportunities available to students. The challenge is making sure students and families know about them early enough to take advantage of them.

That is the kind of leadership I will bring to the board: understanding the programs and policies already in place, asking whether they are actually reaching families, and helping turn opportunity into access.

If you want a School Board representative who understands education from inside our schools and will do the work to connect students and families to opportunity, vote Nicole Fitzgerald for District 6 on November 3.

08/22/2026

Last week, I shared about the Louisiana Diploma Seals available to high school students. Over the next few posts, I want to take a closer look at each one, because opportunities only matter if students and families know they exist and know how to access them.

Next up: The Louisiana Seal of Biliteracy.

This one is especially close to my heart.

I first learned about the Seal of Biliteracy when I became a Spanish teacher and began digging through Louisiana Department of Education standards and resources. It later became part of my graduate school research, and over the years, I’ve shared information about it with World Language teachers, ESL teachers, counselors, and district leadership.

To earn the seal, students must demonstrate proficiency in English AND another language.

For English, students must meet requirements that include:
• Four years of high school English
• At least a 19 on the English portion of the ACT
• For English Learners, an Early Advanced score on the ELPT

Students must also demonstrate at least Intermediate High proficiency in another language through an approved pathway, which can include:

• Four years of language study plus a Language Proficiency Portfolio
• A B2 score on the DELE or DELF
• Intermediate High on a national proficiency assessment such as STAMP or AAPPL
• A qualifying score on an AP or IB language exam

What I love about this seal is who it recognizes.

It creates an opportunity for students who intentionally pursue and master a second language in school. But it also recognizes something incredibly valuable that many of our students already bring into our classrooms: the ability to communicate in a language spoken in their homes and communities.

That is an asset worth recognizing.

While I was at Westdale Middle, I worked with our language immersion magnet program to bring the STAMP proficiency assessment to the school so students could demonstrate their language proficiency toward eventually earning the Seal of Biliteracy.

That is what access looks like.

It isn’t enough for an opportunity to exist somewhere on a state website. Students need to know about it. Families need to understand it. Counselors and teachers need the information to guide students toward it. And schools need systems in place that make these opportunities genuinely accessible.

The Seal of Biliteracy tells colleges and future employers that a graduate has demonstrated a high level of proficiency in two languages across reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

As a School Board member, I will ask the questions that matter:

Do our students know these opportunities exist?
Do they have equitable access to them?
And are we intentionally helping them get there?

Because we should not just offer opportunities. We should build pathways that help students reach them.

Vote Nicole Fitzgerald for East Baton Rouge School Board, District 6 on November 3.