Jennifer Senavaitis for Northwestern Lehigh School Board

Short-term School Counselor needed at Weisenberg Elementary School for 6-8 weeks beginning as soon as possible. Apply by visiting our website at www.nwlehighsd.org. EOE 🐯🖤💛

Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank you for all that you’ve done to protect our great nation!

When I decided to run for a school board director seat, I never knew I would meet such amazing people along the way. I believe in education and what it provides to our children. I have waited a few days to post something but it looks like I have been elected to serve on the Northwestern Lehigh School Board. What’s also great is I get to do it with Dr. Lauren Hunsicker and Becky Hite.

A huge thanks goes out to all of you who supported me, encouraged me, and spoke out for me. You made the difference. I am a part of a great community. Thank you again and as I’ve been saying over the past several months, your voice matters. Please keep the feedback coming and the advocacy for our community.

We are in the process of collecting signs. If you could help us collect them, we would greatly appreciate it. Please feel free to keep them or we can come pick them up.

Today was an amazing day. I met some awesome people and the help from others giving out information was outstanding. Thank you to all those who voted for me, supported me and spoke out on my behalf. What a great place to live!

Please come and vote today! Your vote matters.

Running for any position is not an easy task. It takes commitment, time, the willingness to listen to others, and educating yourself on the things that you don’t know. Tomorrow is Election Day. My hope is that you will come out tomorrow and vote. We would love your support. The three is us have come together, as a team, to work towards one common goal - to continue to do what is best for students, parents, educators, and the community, even if it means not always being the popular voice. I would ask that if are considering voting for me that you would also vote for Dr. Lauren Hunsicker and Becky Hite. Thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you tomorrow, November 2.

Voters to choose four new school board members | Lehigh Valley Press There are seven candidates on the ballot for four seats on the Northwestern Lehigh School Board. James Warfel notified The Press, however, that he was not running for office. The Press asked the candi...

Excited that we had an opportunity to collect donations for The Sanctuary at Haafsville. Thank you for your donations and for stopping by. The best part is being able to give back to the community. And Thank You to Retriever Brewing Company for having us!

Thank you so much to everyone that donated or stopped by our meet and greet! The Sanctuary at Haafsvilles was thrilled will all the donations.

Special thanks to Retriever Brewing Company for being a fabulous host!

Jennifer Senavaitis for Northwestern Lehigh School Board Dr. Lauren Hunsicker for Northwestern Lehigh School Board Director

With the November election quickly approaching, I thought I would take the time to share my thoughts on parent involvement, school choice, and masking. I made the decision to run for school board a year and a half ago because I wanted to use my educational background and knowledge to help make the best decisions possible for students, parents, staff, and community members. I have worked with children and parents for over twenty years, 14 of those years in education. I have seen many agendas and requirements come across the education world. While education is not perfect, the goal is clear - it is to teach our children to be active participants in today’s world. Schools can do that best with support from parents and community members. We are facing challenges like we have never seen before and are also experiencing, at times, a divide in beliefs and how decisions are made.

Let me first start off by saying that personally, I do not like wearing a mask. However, I am required to wear a mask as it is a working condition in accordance with the Health and Safety Plan, adopted by the board, in accordance with the mandate currently in place. As the president of the Whitehall-Coplay Education Association, I worked with the school district leadership to encourage masks to be optional. This same decision holds true for Northwestern. Right or wrong, this decision was made based on the data. The disappointing factor is that the mandate took away local control from school boards, causing schools to adhere to these mandates/guidelines. The implications for schools that do not adhere to the mandate guidelines could be devastating, financially and legally. Personally, I made the decision, as a parent, to continue to send my daughters to their home school, wearing a mask, because the best decision for them was to be in-person, five days a week, interacting with their peers and educators, and attempting to have as normal of a school experience as possible. I made the choice - their educational and social/emotional gains were more important than a face mask. These mandates put the school board, leadership, and educators in the worst position. What is good for one is not good for all.

I am a strong advocate for kids in both my personal and professional life. I know from first-hand experience the impact that families have on their children. I also know that it is a parent’s job to advocate for their children and to always do right by them. I have to believe, as an educator, that ultimately schools are trying to do what is right for students. In order for any organization to grow, its practices should be continually reviewed and school districts are no different. Do I think that the school board could be more transparent - Yes. Do I think that the emphasis on communication should be greater - Absolutely. I also think that the school district needs to continue to focus on long-term goals. The school district is in a financial crisis due to the structure at the state level for how districts across the state lose monies to cyber and charter school funding. When families chose to send their students to another school, the home school district loses funding as it is allocated to the receiving school. Parents have the choice to send their children to other educational entities, but this does not come without penalty. It is my belief that our school district needs to be a little more humble and have those tough conversations about why students are really leaving their home schools. Let’s focus on the problem and come up with creating ways to change, ultimately benefiting all students.

As a parent and a community member, I want my daughters to learn every day from their teachers. I want them to see their friends, go to the Friday night football games, and be kids. I want the educators to teach and have what they need in their classrooms to give our students the best opportunities for success. I want our community members to be proud of the students that Northwestern Lehigh School District produces. Let’s come together, have tough conversations, and work towards a common agenda.

Tonight I had an opportunity to attend the Lehigh County Republican Committee meeting. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and candidates that are running in the November election. Most importantly, no matter what your political affiliation it reminded me of the necessity to get out and vote this Election Day. Be part of the change.