BUPAC Speaker Denise Nystrom

Speaker for January 20, 2022

BUPAC Speaker Denise Nystrom

 

Denise Nystrom is a mom of three and a grandma of eight who was a special education teacher and special education administrator, who then became a Chief Executive Officer of Human Resources. She ran school districts with the Superintendent and worked directly for the board of education. She understands how school boards function at the highest level because she was an administrator for thirteen years. Denise understands that teachers, counselors and support staff are the most essential resources in school districts because they are directly responsible our children every day.

Denise attends every Lee County School Board Meeting including workshops and briefings for up to 9-12 hours on any given day. She actively holds the school board accountable by informing community members about key issues through the website and weekly newsletter she creates. She initiates letter writing campaigns and is a voice for the parents, children, and community at public board meetings. She supports the Parents Rights Bill that states that the parents are the most important decision makers when it comes to teaching morality. Denise created an opt-out letter to prevent the district from teaching morality and sexuality and from infringing on parents’ and children’s medical freedom and went to malls, parks, and pools to give the letter out.
Denise organized a review of the English textbooks and submitted a report to the Board of Education, the Superintendent and the Chief of Curriculum informing them that the textbooks they are using do not follow Florida State Laws about teaching civics and factual history. Denise has examined student achievement scores of particular schools in comparison to the ethnic make-up of those schools and incident rates of bullying, threatening, and violence.

Denise is aware of the issues that affect children’s education and need to be addressed in Lee County from teacher and staff shortages, textbook adoption processes, special education programs and services, building facilities, budget accountability and more. Denise will effectively navigate within the school district to change policies and procedures be-cause this is her area of expertise.