Article #1 >>>>> An Overview of the Background and Positions of Highly Promising New Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education At-Large Member Sonya Emerick

Of the two candidates (Sonya Emerick and Collin Beachy) who were victorious in the Tuesday, 8 November 2022, election for an at-large seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, Sonya Emerick is most promising for being a prospectively independent voice for students long neglected by the district.

The following information is conveyed on Sonya Emerick’s website in her successful campaign for a seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education  >>>>>

Meet Sonya Emerick

A Minneapolis Public Schools graduate (Hale/Field, Anthony, South High) and lifelong Minneapolis resident, Sonya was raised on the Southside and built their own family on the Northside. This love for the whole city drives Sonya’s commitment to address the needs of ALL Minneapolis students in each and every school in every neighborhood.

Sonya is autistic and their six-year-old with complex disabilities is enrolled at Marcy Arts Magnet.  Sonya sits on the Site Council at Marcy as a parent rep, serves on the MPS Special Education Advisory Council, and is on the Board of Directors for the Autism Society of MN.

Sonya’s decades of community organizing experience include work with homeless and at-risk youth, launching a Minneapolis community center, and organizing food distribution.

As a youth case manager, when Sonya’s homeless or highly mobile clients faced barriers to school enrollment, Sonya was known for sitting in school administration offices and staying for as long as it took for their students to be enrolled.

Sonya has continued to show up and stay put on behalf of students. 

Sonya is >>>>>

>>>>>    A Minneapolis Public Schools graduate

>>>>>    A lifelong Minneapolis resident 

>>>>>    Transgender and non-binary

>>>>>    A disability justice advocate

>>>>>    The parent of a child with complex disabilities who attends MPS

>>>>>    The parent of a recent high school graduate 

>>>>>    The parent of a child with complex disabilities who attends MPS 

>>>>>    A member of the Board for the Autism Society of Minnesota 

>>>>>    A Site Council member at Marcy Arts Magnet

>>>>>    A member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council

>>>>>    A community organizer who has worked with homeless and at-risk youth, has launched a Minneapolis community center, and has organized community food distribution.

Why Sonya Emerick is Running

This year, after spending more hours in IEP meetings for their child than their child received hours of instruction, Sonya not only refused to give up their child’s right to an education but made the decision to serve all families by running for school board.   

Our educational system holds a standardized idea of how every student should learn and behave that’s based in whiteness and ableism. When kids can’t fit that narrow standard, we too often exclude them from the educational experience. That exclusion affects the learning environment for every single student whose needs and identities are devalued. Educators need to be supported to provide culturally sustaining instruction and an environment of true belonging. 

As is the reality for so many MPS families, Sonya’s lived experience with marginalization - autism, disability, and poverty - has built profoundly creative problem-solving skills, adaptability, a deep familiarity with MPS programs and services, and a clear vision for how our schools can provide education for all.