{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"470: Massapequa School Board Candidate - Danielle Ocuto","description":"Current Massapequa school board member and candidate Danielle Ocuto joins Tom at Paradise Studios in Massapequa for a wide-ranging discussion about: The \u201cSave the Chief\u201d mascot controversy Lawsuits and taxpayer money COVID-era mask debates Parent rights in schools Transgender bathroom and locker room policies Public comment at school board meetings Universal Pre-K And why local school board politics have become national news \u26a0\ufe0f This episode is presented as a conversation and not an endorsement of any candidate or position. -------- Want To Record A Podcast Or Learn To Podcast? Recorded at Paradise Studios Massapequa - New York https:\/\/www.paradisestudiosny.com ----- \u23f1\ufe0f TIMESTAMPS 1:00 \u2013 \u201cNational politics are Massapequa politics now\u201d 1:20 \u2013 Is the election closer than it appears online? 1:37 \u2013 \u201cYou have to be insane to run for school board\u201d 2:16 \u2013 Danielle Ocuto explains why she first decided to run 2:31 \u2013 Volunteer work, Girl Scouts & PTA involvement 3:14 \u2013 Growing up in Massapequa \ud83e\udeb6 SAVE THE CHIEF CONTROVERSY 3:44 \u2013 Tom asks about \u201cSave the Chief\u201d 3:59 \u2013 Danielle explains the mascot debate 4:22 \u2013 Kathy Hochul\u2019s mandate explained 4:30 \u2013 Why Massapequa became the district leading the lawsuit 5:10 \u2013 Fighting Irish vs Vikings vs Chiefs 5:36 \u2013 The financial side of replacing the mascot 7:08 \u2013 Tom shares his thoughts on the mascot debate 7:53 \u2013 Discussion about Native American outreach \ud83d\udcb0 LAWSUITS & TAXPAYER MONEY 9:48 \u2013 \u201cHow much are we willing to spend?\u201d 10:07 \u2013 Danielle pushes back on the $600K figure 10:49 \u2013 COVID-related lawsuits included in the total 11:15 \u2013 Breaking down the district budget 11:51 \u2013 Is there a cap on \u201cSaving the Chief\u201d legal spending? \ud83d\ude37 COVID, MASKS & SCHOOL BOARD POLITICS 12:07 \u2013 Cuomo, masks & hindsight 12:33 \u2013 \u201cMaybe Massapequa wasn\u2019t so outlandish\u201d 13:13 \u2013 Tom talks about how COVID changed his career 13:48 \u2013 Should school boards take political positions? 14:14 \u2013 Danielle discusses student safety and emotional wellbeing 14:41 \u2013 \u201cOur kids were exploited during COVID\u201d 15:17 \u2013 Why Danielle admired the school board during that time 15:35 \u2013 How COVID influenced her decision to run \ud83d\udce7 THE BOBBY BONETT EMAIL CONTROVERSY 15:51 \u2013 Tom reads Bobby Bonett\u2019s old COVID email on-air 16:52 \u2013 \u201cLowest common denominator of intelligence\u201d becomes a meme 17:06 \u2013 Should school boards fight state policy? 17:50 \u2013 What about parents who disagreed? \ud83d\udebb TRANS POLICIES & BATHROOMS 18:35 \u2013 Parent rights discussion begins 19:06 \u2013 Schools not informing parents about gender identity changes 19:43 \u2013 Danielle explains state guidance on gender identity 20:22 \u2013 \u201cKeeping parents out is not fair\u201d 20:45 \u2013 Tom asks about the bathroom lawsuit 21:03 \u2013 \u201cWe don\u2019t want to hurt any students\u201d 21:27 \u2013 Biological sex vs gender identity policy explained 22:20 \u2013 Who sued who? 23:02 \u2013 Federal vs state guidance conflict 23:35 \u2013 Gender-neutral spaces & accommodations 24:14 \u2013 Tom asks about Bobby Bonett\u2019s \u201cchanging booths\u201d idea 24:29 \u2013 Danielle responds to the proposal \ud83c\udfa4 SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS & LOCAL CHAOS 25:10 \u2013 Facebook groups & public outrage 25:45 \u2013 \u201cYou should come to a board meeting\u201d 26:20 \u2013 Danielle discusses \u201cagitators\u201d disrupting meetings 26:42 \u2013 Why meetings were moved into an auditorium 27:07 \u2013 When protests escalated 27:46 \u2013 Public comment changes at special meetings 28:52 \u2013 How other Long Island districts handle comments \ud83c\udfeb EDUCATION ISSUES 29:44 \u2013 Why Massapequa does not currently offer Universal Pre-K 30:33 \u2013 Danielle discusses choosing preschool during COVID 31:16 \u2013 What Danielle loves about Massapequa 31:40 \u2013 Why the community rallies together \u26bd SPORTS & TRANS ATHLETES 33:40 \u2013 Discussion about sports participation policies 34:07 \u2013 Danielle: \u201cI think it\u2019s not safe\u201d 34:43 \u2013 Supports for transgender students 35:37 \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re focused on student strengths, not labels\u201d 36:23 \u2013 \u201cWhat you bring to the world matters\u201d \ud83c\udfa4 FINAL THOUGHTS 36:45 \u2013 Tom almost pivots into campaign finance questions 37:03 \u2013 Danielle discusses campaign donations 37:17 \u2013 Final message to voters 38:16 \u2013 Celebrating students beyond college paths 38:33 \u2013 Danielle\u2019s closing statement 38:52 \u2013 Tom closes the show ","author_name":"Tom Kelly Show","author_url":"http:\/\/www.TomKellyShow.com","html":"