When I first met Racheal Hand, I connected with her instantly because we shared the same passion and ideas for our school district. Throughout the years, I had grown frustrated with the complacency and weakness by the incumbent when it came to opening schools, masks, overcrowding, inappropriate books and more. I was always nervous she would be easily persuaded to change her mind. I felt Slough had lost her fire having been in that position over 20 years and meeting Racheal, a young mom with two young children was so refreshing. Racheal has a vested interest in our district and she’s not satisfied with just coasting as the top School District in the state! She wants to tackle the problems currently being swept under the rug. She wants to get to the root of the problems and continue to elevate our schools to new heights. I like that Racheal is not compromised by a political party or developers. I believe she will put students first and keep the emphasis on core quality education with no outside influence or ideologies. One of her best qualities is being a good listener and making herself available. That is something that is lost with our current board members. This will be an asset to unify teachers and parents which is desperately needed in our county.

"My husband and I have become increasingly concerned about the disciplinary issues at our child's school. We are made aware of countless significant incidents happening regularly where children could get seriously injured. When we reached out to our current school board member during an incident when a child was making physical threats to more than a dozen students, nothing was done to help ensure the safety of the students at the school. In fact, countless emails were ignored. I think 20 years is a long enough term for someone who has become complacent in her position. Racheal understands the issues facing parents, students and teachers because she is a parent/volunteer in our school district with two students in St. Johns County Schools. It's apparent someone who has children IN the school district will fight harder to advocate for our children than someone who doesn't have any stock in our system. The choice for school board member District 1 was obvious for my husband and me - we support Racheal Hand."

“As a mom of two young boys who moved from Duval County to Saint John’s, specifically for the school system, I strongly support Racheal Hand for School Board. What I see happening in Saint Johns is similar to what I witnessed in Duval: complacency, and an unwillingness to put the wellbeing of our children first. I want someone who will fight alongside me for my kids, as they deserve the best education without indoctrination. Parental involvement should be strongly encouraged, and parental rights, the top priority. Covid pulled back the curtain, offering a glimpse of things occurring inside our schools. Teachers should be supported, not sidetracked with special agendas. Student behavior should never be swept under the rug or hidden from parents, but immediately addressed. Our schools should never again close their doors to learning, or force our children to cover their faces. My vote for Rachael Hand is a vote to protect our school district from suffering the same fate as other districts around the country. Racheal stands up for kids, for parents, and for teachers; and because of that, she has my full support.”

"Our son started his education in St. Johns County schools in 2005. Even then, I noticed there seemed to be a lack of transparency as well as some things being taught that went against our values and core beliefs. I also noticed that every year, the schools had more and more portables, and there were always comments about “record growth”. I am supporting Racheal Hand because Racheal reflects our values: she believes in parental involvement, that all students deserve a good education without indoctrination, and that our schools should focus on what students need to be successful: reading, writing, math, and either college or workforce readiness.”

I have worked in the district for several years and I have seen many eye-opening things that do not look promising for the future of SJCSD. I fully believe that Racheal Hand is the only candidate running who can advocate for a stronger district and be able to push back on some of the detrimental policies that have blindly been passed by the current board members. She is thoroughly invested in the school district having two small children in elementary school. Racheal has the passion and drive that is needed to successfully lead SJCSD into the coming times. In November, I will be voting for Racheal Hand for SJCSD District 1.