It was a prison for teachers and students


I spent over a decade as a public school teacher. For most of those years, I lived paycheck to paycheck.	View in browser

Friend,

Before becoming Director of Operations at the Louisiana Abortion Fund and launching my run for Congress, I spent over a decade as a public school teacher. For most of those years, I lived paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet on as little as $33,000 a year. A simple coffee felt like a luxury, and an unexpected flat tire could wipe out my bank account.

Like teachers across the country, we put up with being underpaid because we love our students. But in Louisiana, teachers are often pushed to the breaking point by the terrible conditions we face in our schools.

With no limits on classroom size, many teachers are crammed into spaces with over 35 students. In one school, I didn’t even have a proper classroom—just some desks in a hallway surrounded by PVC pipes and fabric walls. Another teacher’s makeshift “classroom” was right next to mine, so our students struggled to hear us over each other. And students from other classes constantly walked through, disrupting learning every day.

Some pics of my students and I from my time teaching.

The challenges don’t stop there. Unlike states with strong teachers' unions, Louisiana’s educators often work without guaranteed breaks. Some teachers go from the first bell to the end of the day without a free period. That means late nights and weekends spent grading and planning because there simply isn’t time during the school day.

When I left teaching to run for Congress, I knew speaking out for abortion rights and trans rights would likely get me fired in Louisiana’s conservative districts. And today, conditions in our public schools are even worse.

Take my daughter’s junior high, for example. Students are given only seven bathroom passes for an entire semester—a misguided attempt to stop vaping. But what about girls on their periods? How can students focus on learning when they’re afraid of bleeding through their clothes? Kids also get barely enough time to eat lunch, with no recess at all. Our schools are starting to feel more like prisons.

Meanwhile, my ultra-MAGA opponent, Steve Scalise, has worked hard to keep Louisiana ranked last in education. He voted against federal funding that supports free school meals, opposed expanding Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students, and wants to eliminate the Department of Education altogether. He’s even pushing to divert public school funds to private institutions.

I’m running for Congress because our education system is broken—and I’ve lived that reality as a teacher. It’s time to send someone to Washington who will fight for our students and our schools.