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Kader Sakkaria: 2021 candidate for Indian Prairie District 204

Challenger Kader Sakkaria, one of 11 candidates running for four, 4-year terms in Indian Prairie Unit District 204, responds to the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire for the April 6, 2021, local election.

The candidates are: incumbents Laurie Donahue of Naperville and Susan Taylor-Demming of Naperville; and challengers Shannon Adcock of Naperville, Allison Fosdick of Naperville, Saba Haider of Aurora, Robert O. Harris of Naperville, Supna C. Jain of Naperville, Marina Kosak of Naperville, Yanmei May Liang of Naperville, Rajesh Narayan of Naperville, and Kader Sakkaria of Naperville.

In-person early voting with paper ballots is now available at DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.

For more election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.

Bio

City: Naperville

Age: 50

Occupation: Chief Technology Officer at Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Civic involvement: Board of NCTV17

Q&A

Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?

A: From my professional background, I know that higher education in the United States is rapidly developing new models of learning. We need to prepare every student to achieve success after graduation, however they define it, which means we need to incorporate these new higher education pathways into our K-12 curricula.

In order to do so, we must address the systemic inequities present in our district and empower all students and families to get involved. I'm running for the school board because it has the unique ability to address these issues in a transparent, effective manner.

Q: How would you grade the current school board on its response to the pandemic? Why?

A: As far as I can tell, they're doing a fair job with regards to the mechanics of administration, but they could stand to be much more transparent about these mechanics, and especially be more communicative with the community about the process of dealing with the pandemic.

I think the lack of communication is a determining factor with regards to the pandemic, because when people in the community feel like their voices are not being heard, they rightfully feel resentful and not represented by their elected officials. I respect that the board has a difficult task in these times, but that does not forgive some of the opaqueness.

Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?

A: A board member needs to provide leadership through engagement with the community, backed up by science - the concepts are inseparable. Transparency requires that you make your process clear, regardless of its popularity. An elected official should not hide behind false barriers when they know they're going to get pushback. I will endeavor to make decisions that reflect the will of the community, and in the event that these decisions are unpopular, I commit to being open to feedback and dialogue.

Q: Did your district continue to adequately serve students during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to continue providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.

A: Yes and no. In the short-term, the district was able to move to remote learning quickly and get most students engaged to start. There are some issues, though, and I particularly think of mental health issues and accommodations for special needs students. These issues were not given as much thought and attention as they deserved. The district has since attempted some adaptations, but in the grand scheme of ensuring equitable access to education, it fell short of what I think it should have delivered.

For example, for special needs students like my son, they're supposed to have regular appointments with their therapists and other professionals, but it was incredibly unclear about how to maintain those appointments when the schooling went online. This lack of communication caused a great deal of unneeded stress for families, and more importantly meant that these students lost out on critical help.

Q: Do you have a plan on how to safely and effectively conduct classes in the spring? What have you learned from the fall semester that you would change in the spring?

A: I want to get our students back in school as soon as possible per scientific experts' recommendations. In order to keep our numbers where they are, we need to take a few steps. This includes vaccinations of teachers, the distribution of masks and other equipment as necessary, and the firm assurance of other school policies such as ventilation and social distancing. These are prerequisites, otherwise our numbers will climb and we'll be forced to reverse.

I believe our community can do it, and I promise to fight for each family as I fight for my own.

With regards to lessons from the fall, I think we need to prioritize in-school time as much as possible. Ideally, that's five days a week, but it may require a ramp-up period as schools get accustomed to the necessary prerequisites for in-person learning. So, we shouldn't shy away from a hybrid model as a transitional phase, but we need to keep in mind that it's a transition to normalcy.

Q: What is your position on allowing high school sports to continue during the pandemic? Be specific.

A: Most importantly, we should follow scientific guidelines, and within what is safe, we should prioritize the student experience. We should distinguish between risks of different sports, for instance wrestling versus soccer. The former is an indoor sport requiring lots of close physical contact both in training and competition. That's more risky. The latter is outdoors and requires relatively little physical contact. Perhaps more important is what the students do for the other hours of the day, and that has a lot to do with the standards we set in classrooms and at schools as a whole. A soccer game would still be unsafe if none of the players are wearing masks during the rest of the day and aren't observing social distancing guidelines when hanging out with their friends.

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