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Saba Haider: 2021 candidate for Indian Prairie District 204 board

Challenger Saba Haider, 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: Aurora

Age: 37

Occupation: Business owner (health and wellness expert)

Civic involvement: I have been a volunteer in District 204 helping students learn tools to manage socioemotional consequences of social, academic and personal restrictions during the pandemic. I have also been a volunteer and fundraiser for over a decade with PTAs, schools, children with disabilities through Variety the Children's Charity of IL, Girl Scouts, and food insecure children in District 204 during the pandemic. My family owns and operates a school for underprivileged youth in India and I have been able to raise funds, train teachers, and mentor kids to find their career paths over the years. I have been a local community organizer helping with the campaigns of local candidates. I have worked to encourage greater voter turnout and hosting meet-and-greets to help the community learn about their local candidates. I have also been an election judge at the 2020 general election.

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: My name is Saba Haider and I am running for school board member in District 204. Having moved here 13 years ago with my husband, I found a community that was welcoming, safe and diverse. As a mother of two children, these were values I have always been grateful to have as I raise my family. Now, I want to foster these values and also promote social, emotional and mental health of our children to help them become resilient and future ready. I will work to improve community cohesiveness by strengthening the channel of communication among all members of the district and allocate resources to our students in a strategic and equitable manner to help all students learn, lead and thrive.

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

A: I would give the current board an A. I choose to do that because what the school board had to face (or any other board in the country) was unprecedented. There were no instructions on how to lead the district through a pandemic, yet due to their leadership we were able to quickly move online. The kids were able to continue their school year and study. It is not ideal and we want kids to be back in schools as soon as possible. The solution has to be a meeting of the minds with compromise, compassion and creativity at its core, driven by scientific data.

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: Give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom I disagree.

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: While every single one of us has had to make some very hard adjustments in the last year, District 204 has been working hard to make sure that it is able to serve the students. One example is when kids went online, District 204 continued serving free meals to all children to help ensure children who are experiencing food insecurities have access to nutritious food as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

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: To safely and effectively conduct classes in the spring, we will have to follow CDC guidelines for a hybrid model. This will provide choice to the parents that is best suited to their needs and circumstances. Students who are attending in person classes, teachers and other staff members will have to follow mitigation strategies: universal and correct use of masks, physical distancing, self-certifying and optional screening.

Fall semester brought out many challenges like lack of student engagement and social interaction. In the spring, we will have to find creative solutions to these problems. We will also have to continue to safely bring sports back in schools.

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

A: Sports like tennis, soccer, and track and field can be practiced if the protocols are in place and followed. However, other sports like football, basketball, and wrestling are very close contact sports and can increase the risk of exposure and an outbreak. Group testing can help mitigate some of the risks associated with such sports.

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