Editor’s note: Over the past few weeks, The Coronado News has asked each of this year’s school board candidates questions about the most pressing topics concerning public schools in Coronado. The candidates’ responses have been presented in a different order each week to ensure fairness. The candidates are limited to 200 words for each response. There are three positions up for grabs on the CUSD board of trustees in the November elections. Kaye Schneider, Peggy Duncan, Alexia Palacios-Peters and Mal Sandie are vying for the open seats.
This week’s topic is academics, safety and education philosophy.
Question 1: The 2025 CA Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) reports that the percentage of students in Coronado public schools who “feel safe at school” has decreased since 2023. What specific steps would you take to ensure the physical and emotional safety of district students and staff?
Question 2: Describe your history of involvement with public schools in Coronado and explain how and/or why it qualifies you to serve as a district trustee. What makes you a better choice than the other candidates?
Kaye Schneider
- Answer: Before drawing conclusions, we need to understand what this measure tells us. “Feeling safe” is a perception; a student who does not select the highest response is not necessarily saying they feel unsafe. The Local Control and Accountability Plan does not explain whether perceived changes reflect bullying, social conflict, physical safety, mental health, or other factors. I would ask the district to examine the underlying CHKS questions alongside discipline, counseling, attendance, and student-support data.
I would also examine survey participation and timing. Village fifth-grade participation was only 65%, and both fifth and ninth grades showed notable declines. Did the timing coincide with transitions from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school? Declines in caring-adult relationships at Village and in caring-adult relationships and school connectedness among ninth graders warrant closer examination.
CUSD is strengthening safety plans and counseling. I would establish a Safety Commission including parents, staff, administrators, and our school police liaison. Parents are the ears of our community and often hear firsthand what students are feeling and experiencing. I would require regular, unannounced observations of classrooms, playgrounds, and common areas at schools showing declines, with findings reported to the commission. The board would review safety data quarterly and take policy action as needed. - Answer: Raising four children in Coronado schools gave me 15 years of firsthand experience with our district. I volunteered regularly in classrooms, served on PATT (the Parent Teacher Organization) at Village, and served on PTO boards at the middle and high schools, including one year as co-president. As an educator, I understand classroom realities, and as a parent, I understand how district decisions affect families.
What I bring beyond volunteer experience is 15 years of study and professional work focused on resilience, relationships, and healthier life skills. That training has taught me to identify patterns, listen to different perspectives, recognize the underlying issues behind conflict, and help people move toward practical solutions.
Those skills directly apply to being a trustee. I can ask thoughtful questions about student achievement while also considering student well-being, family dynamics, teacher support, and school climate. I understand that strong schools depend on productive relationships among students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the board.
As a trustee, I would bring a classroom-informed, parent-informed and research-informed perspective to policy decisions. I would work to identify problems early, seek input from those closest to them, and support policies that strengthen both academic achievement, relationship and life skills our students need to thrive.
Peggy Duncan
- Answer: CUSD already conducts annual reviews of its school safety plans, and I support taking a detailed look at the physical security of each campus. Given the Healthy Kids Survey results, I would want the next review to focus specifically on students’ perceptions of safety and what may be driving those concerns.
The results are more nuanced than the question suggests. Safety perceptions declined most significantly among ninth graders and Village Elementary fifth graders, remained relatively stable in seventh and eleventh grades, and improved among Silver Strand fifth graders. I am particularly concerned about the fifth-grade cohort because those students are now in middle school, a developmental period when students can be especially vulnerable socially and emotionally.
I would listen directly to students, teachers, counselors, and parents to determine whether concerns involve bullying, disruptive behavior, social media, mental health, campus security, or something else — and then respond accordingly.
I would also emphasize clear, consistent discipline, strong mental health support, and smaller middle school classes that help teachers know their students and identify problems earlier.
Finally, we should set measurable, school-specific safety goals and track progress annually. Students have a right to learn, teachers have a right to teach, and everyone has a right to feel safe at school. - Answer: For 20 years, my family has been deeply connected to the Coronado community. We have strong relationships with students, parents, teachers, and staff across all of our schools, giving me a broad perspective on both the strengths of CUSD and the challenges families and educators experience.
My involvement with CUSD has also been hands-on. I served on the district committee addressing student cell phone use, bringing experience from my three years as a school board trustee at Francis Parker School. Through FOCUS, I created and currently lead an internship program for Coronado High School students that provides hands-on experience in service, leadership, fundraising, and nonprofit governance. I am on campus with these students every month.
My qualifications extend beyond CUSD. For more than 30 years, my professional and volunteer work has centered on children and education – as an attorney, Juvenile Court Judge Pro Tem, nonprofit leader, parent, and experienced school board trustee.
What distinguishes my candidacy is the combination of school board governance experience, legal training, nonprofit leadership, and deep community involvement. I understand the role of a trustee and would be prepared from day one to ask difficult questions, evaluate competing perspectives, and make thoughtful decisions focused on students.
Alexia Palacios-Peters
- Answer: Safety starts with listening. First, we need to understand why the numbers dropped. The Healthy Kids Survey can be broken down by school and grade, and I’ll ask staff to present that breakdown to the board, alongside input from students about what is driving it.
Emotional safety: Much of what makes kids feel unsafe today follows them onto campus through their phones. I supported the phone pouch pilot at CMS, and I want its results to shape a district-wide policy. I’ll also push to protect and expand counseling and mental health support, including with partners like Safe Harbor Coronado, where I once served as board president. Our military kids, about 40% of our students, face deployments and frequent moves, and they need adults who understand that.
Physical safety: During my time on the board, we asked for a safety audit that was completed in June 2023. Since then, the district has implemented recommendations in stages. We will continue to implement recommendations and provide updates as needed moving forward. Safety also means healthy classrooms. In 2016, a district committee set standards for classroom heat and air quality. That work isn’t finished, and with more heat days every year, HVAC upgrades are a safety issue, not a luxury.
Staff can’t keep students safe unless they feel safe too. Their voices belong in this conversation. - Answer: All three of my children have come up through Coronado public schools. Our oldest graduated from CHS in 2025, and our younger two are at CHS and CMS today. Before joining the board, I read to students at Village, volunteered in the library, chaperoned band and APA field trips for seven years, and served as treasurer of the band & choir boosters.
Since 2022, I’ve served as a trustee, including two years as board president, unanimously elected by my colleagues both times. I co-chaired the 4×4 bell schedule committee, helped develop the Portrait of a Graduate, and helped manage the Bridge to Basic Aid.
What sets me apart is the combination of perspectives I bring to every vote. I am the only military spouse on the board, representing the roughly 40% of our students from military families. I am a former educator and an attorney who has spent my career advocating for people who need a voice. And I have four years of experience doing this exact job.
The next four years will determine whether Basic Aid succeeds. I helped build that plan, and I’m asking voters to let me see it through.
Mal Sandie
- Answer: I believe harassment and bullying are significant factors driving student safety concerns at school, with social media acting as a primary catalyst. While our school principals, staff, and Coronado Police Department resource officers do an exceptional job addressing these issues, their capacity is limited. To support them, our district must reduce campus social media access by banning personal electronic devices during school hours. While this will not eliminate off-campus use, it is a necessary first step toward mitigating the problem.
Gun violence presents another profound threat to our children. Although our district has completed a thorough safety analysis and implemented all recommended protocols — including routine lockdown drills to minimize casualties — these drills unfortunately serve as a distressing reminder of real-world threats to our students. - Answer: My four children have all attended Coronado public schools; three are CHS graduates, and my youngest is currently a senior there.
As the only candidate running for office in Coronado who is entirely self-funded, I refuse to accept any donations. This self-imposed limit restricts my campaign expenditures to a maximum of $2,000 – roughly the cost of a single, full-page color advertisement in a local print publication. Big money has contaminated our nation’s politics at every level, including our local Coronado campaigns, and I refuse to be “bought.”
My commitment to this community spans over two decades. I have managed three Little League teams, volunteered as a dog-walker at PAWS, and attended countless school events and performances. Professionally and civically, I have spent the last four years fighting to champion public education as a Coronado School District trustee. I am dedicated to keeping religion out of our classrooms, honoring our nation’s foundational belief in the freedom of—and from—religion. Furthermore, I will firmly oppose any MAGA-aligned efforts (such as Project 2025 or related executive orders) that seek to divert vital public funds to private and faith-based schools, which would be catastrophic for our public education system.
