Ingrid Campus is running for the Palo Alto Unified School District board.

Campos works in business administration and has two daughters who both attend Henry M. Gunn High School. She previously served as chair of the Los Altos Parks and Recreation Committee. Campos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from UCLA. 

Campos said she believes politics should stay out of education. As an example, she brought up the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, which reversed the constitutional right to an abortion.

“When I hear 14 year olds, which I heard recently, talking about how Roe v. Wade being overturned has thrown us into the dark ages, I asked that 14 year old, ‘Are you having sex?’” Campos said. “And she said no. And I said, ‘So how is it that your life is being thrown back into the dark ages? Are you afraid of being pregnant?’ The child doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade should have no concern to a 14 year old.”

Campos said that civic involvement has always been part of her life. She currently volunteers with 4-H, a nonprofit youth development program, and said she hopes to continue actively contributing to the community.

“[Parents I know] encouraged me to run for school board just based on similar concerns we have for our children,” Campos said. “When I moved out of Los Altos Hills … I was seeking out another place where I can impart my wisdom, my resources, my skill set, in my community.”

Mental health and wellness

Campos supports initiatives such as opening wellness centers at schools, but said that she doesn’t understand why student health and wellness is a large focus for the board. 

“I know that a lot of the candidates are focusing on student health and wellness and safety, and that concerns me because are there statistics that are indicating that our students are not mentally well and healthy and well cared for?” Campos said. “I believe in traditional family values, and part of those traditional family values [is] talking to my kids. … How is a school board member going to affect the health and wellness of my child?” 

Equity

While all other candidates are in support of removing class lanes — which separate students into classes taught at different levels of rigor and depth — to decrease the achievement gap, Campos said she thinks PAUSD should keep class lanes. 

“I know that parents are having a really big issue with single-path math,” Campos said. “That’s a huge issue and I just heard that it was eliminated in middle school. … There are some children who excel in math, and some who don’t, and now everyone’s going to be jumbled into the same classroom.”

Communication

If elected, Campos said she hopes to bridge the divide between teachers and parents by encouraging direct communication. 

“[People are] free to text me, call me, communicate with me, email me, which they do, and talk to me and explain to me what their issues are,” Campos said. 

Campos said she strongly believes that every parent has the right to direct their child’s education and decide what’s best for their child. In the past, she has requested for her children to be opted out of certain curricula, citing that they did not align with her values. 

“The parent has the right to direct the educational goals of their children,” Campos said. “So if their educational goal means I don’t need a third party to teach my child sexual ed, then they have the right to opt out.” 

However, Campos said there aren’t any immediate changes she wants to make.

“I don’t have any concept of what needs to be changed until I’ve attended board meetings and I looked at the agenda,” Campos said. “It’s not super easy to search past meeting minutes.”

To learn more, visit Campos’s website here.