Beth for NPS

I am so grateful to everyone who supported me and my campaign, and I’d like to say “thank you” to each and every person who voted for me. One of the best things about this whole process has been meeting so many wonderful people, and making new friends. I am truly thankful for all of you.

I'm proud of my service on the Board, and hope I've set a good example for future board members as far as showing up and being an involved, informed school board member.

Congratulations to Brenda, Patti and Steve. I wish each of you the best, and hope you will continue to put the best interests of every student at the forefront of your decision making.

As for me, I still have a vested interest in the success of Norfolk Public Schools. I will finish out my term with dedication and a willing heart, and once my time on the board is complete, I will continue to find ways to support our teachers and students.

Today is the day! Please get out and vote, if you haven’t already.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my campaign, I truly appreciate each and every one of you! ♥️🤍💙

2 more days until Election Day, and every vote counts, especially in the down-ballot races. Make your voice heard, and exercise your right to vote on Tuesday.

There are lots of resources available to research the candidates, and their position on the issues, so that you can make an informed decision.

Maybe I should be flattered, that the opposition is so threatened by me, that they are resorting to these kinds of messages to deter people from voting for me.

I have posted zero negative comments about my opponents, nor have I attempted to misconstrue their positions on the issues.

Here are the facts: Yes, I voted against changing the NPS activity policy ( #5301), and here are the reasons why:

1. The NSAA already had a strict policy in place governing participation by transgender students in athletics, which is handled on a case-by-case basis.

2. Transgender participation in sports has never been an issue at NPS, the push to change the NPS policy came from outside political interests. I am against outside/national political interests stirring up issues that are not affecting our local community. Further, at a time when district resources are already limited, we don’t need to be spending taxpayer money, board and administration time and other district resources on these unnecessary issues.

3. Our students already face mental health challenges, more so than when I was a kid, due in large part to social media, etc., and I felt that the rhetoric and furor brought about by the attempts to change policy 5301, put an already vulnerable student population even more at risk, again for no reason.

4. Changing policy 5301 could have unintended consequences in the future. For example, we have a very robust girls’ wrestling program now. When girls first started wrestling, however, they wrestled with/against boys, for several years before NPS instituted a specific girls’ wrestling program. Where was the community outrage about girls wrestling with boys then? If the new 5301 had been in place then, we most likely wouldn’t have a girls wrestling team today.
Additionally, many young women across the country are starting to play football, and one day, there might be girls’ football teams, but that won’t be allowed now at Norfolk High School because of the new policy 5301.

5. NPS’ lawyers gave the board 3 options for how to handle the political uproar over transgender sports participation, and only one of those options (changing Policy 5301, as the board ultimately voted to do), has opened up our district to potentially costly lawsuits, which I did not see as either fiscally responsible or in the best interest of our district.

If you still have questions, I’m happy to answer them.

I received an email in September from a group called “Norfolk Citizens for Academic Education”, with no names attached, asking me to fill out a candidate survey (see survey in comments). I declined to complete the survey, but did email a response to the group (which I have included in this post) with my reason for declining, and also suggesting that if they still had questions about my position on the issues after the NDN/WJAG candidate forum, that they could reach out to me again. I never received a response.

I have never been shy about sharing my views, or my reasons for voting the way I do at school board meetings. I participated in 2 public candidate forums this fall, and did an interview with the Norfolk Daily News as part of my campaign. I also have stated publicly many times, that I welcome and respond to all emails.

I believe transparency goes both ways. I was never able to find out any information about “Norfolk Citizens for Academic Excellence”, and clearly they make no mention of my response to them in their ad that was published in yesterday’s Norfolk Daily News.

https://norfolkdailynews.com/commentary/letters_to_editor/i-ask-for-your-vote-beth-shashikant/article_bf6b84fc-92e8-11ef-a5eb-6fb7584c1162.html?

I ask for your vote — Beth Shashikant NORFOLK — I am running for re-election to the NPS School Board.

I attended the Norfolk Public Schools Foundation’s Traditions event earlier this week. The Foundation does a fabulous job of supporting our students and teachers in myriad ways, including scholarships, classroom grants, Panther Packs, and the Panther Pantries, just to name a few.

I enjoyed learning about many of these projects from the teachers who have received grants, as well as a very impressive recent NPS grad who received Foundation scholarships this year. This is a great event which highlights so many wonderful things happening in our district. Thanks to all of the NPS Foundation sponsors and donors for your generosity, and thanks to the Foundation board for all of the great things you do.
PS: Congrats to the lucky 🍀 winner of Leann Widhalm’s beautiful quilt (no lie, I wish it had been me 😭😆)!

📷: Lindsay Schellpeper Simpson

It was a beautiful evening at Downtown Trick-or-treat 🎃 tonight, where I, along with Brenda Carhart for School Board and Pat Gubbels (Gubbels4NPS), handed out cookies 🍪 , candy 🍫🍬🍭 and cards. There were lots of great costumes, smiles, and happy kiddos with great manners! I love this community of ours. What a great event!

https://norfolkdailynews.com/news/shashikant-looking-to-retain-seat-on-norfolk-school-board/article_2ff4af5e-8e21-11ef-82b7-cf23927c77aa.html?

Shashikant looking to retain seat on Norfolk school board Two years after her appointment to the Norfolk school board, Beth Shashikant is focused on prioritizing student achievement in her role.

Thank you, Angie Bailey!

https://norfolkdailynews.com/commentary/letters_to_editor/move-our-schools-forward-angela-bailey/article_c9ec9c6a-8d8c-11ef-9d64-f7313b4a4a01.html?

Move our schools forward — Angela Bailey NORFOLK — I recently watched the candidate forum for the Norfolk Public School Board and found it very enlightening.

Thank you, Tammy Day!

https://norfolkdailynews.com/commentary/letters_to_editor/trio-will-uphold-excellence-tammy-day/article_c922efb4-8d8c-11ef-8bfd-033ee71b1ecc.html?

Trio will uphold excellence — Tammy Day NORFOLK — I’m writing to support Patti Gubbels, Brenda Carhart, and Beth Shashikant in the upcoming school board election.

Thank you for your support, Jackie Hatfield!

https://norfolkdailynews.com/commentary/letters_to_editor/my-support-for-nps-school-board-jackie-hatfield/article_5d582eec-8720-11ef-a296-1fd5d35d6460.html?

My support for NPS school board — Jackie Hatfield Believe it or not teachers and administrators just want to focus on the students and staff. Their time, energy and emotion and therefore tax payer money should not be constantly