By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE – Three candidates are running for two Melvindale-Northern Allen Park School Board seats – incumbent Alex Atanasovski, who serves as the board’s treasurer, and challengers Molly Striz and Malek Saif.
Each candidate was asked why they were running and their position on book banning, an issue with which the neighboring Dearborn Public School district has had to contend.
Malek Saif did not reply by press time. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University, and works as a school social worker. He is an advocate for English Language Learners.
Alex Atanasovski
Why are you seeking re-election to the school board?
I feel I can continue to be an important voice for our students. I have been on the board for 10 years and have the experience as a leader of the school district to continue guiding it forward.
I am a lifelong resident and a graduate of Mel-NAP, and have been one of the board members who oversaw and helped facilitate a period of growth and stability for our schools, providing increasing opportunities for all of our students to succeed.
What is your position on book banning?
Regardless of book banning, I feel that age-appropriate titles, within the context of the K-12 educational process, be available in our libraries, all while protecting rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Molly Striz
Why are you seeking election to the school board?
I am seeking election to act as a representative of the community and serve as a liaison between the members of the community — students, staff and community members — and the school district. I hope to continue to enhance what is working well, improve areas of concern and develop more opportunities for students and staff.
What is your position on book banning?
I do not support book banning. Literacy, vocabulary, social skills and new ways of thinking are crucial to the development of students, and access to books directly impacts those skills. I believe it is the responsibility of schools to teach students how to think, not what to think.
Although people may question the content in certain books, parents can take an active role in being aware of what their children are reading. Restricting information is the opposite of education and undermines a student’s ability to learn to think for themselves, find credible information and to develop as an individual.