Anthony Wren, a Libertarian Party candidate for the Hamilton Southeastern School Board of Trustees in District 1, says school safety is the main reason he is running. He talks about it in the latest LarryInFishers.com podcast.

Wren said news reports about guns in schools, including recent incidents in Noblesville and at North Central High School in Indianapolis, pushed him to run.

“I made a promise,” said Wren, whose daughter graduated from HSE. “If I can do anything to stop this one time, I’ve done my job.”

His main proposal is weapons-detection scanners at every entrance of every HSE school, like the ones used at the Fishers Event Center. He also wants the district to eventually form its own police department instead of relying on school resource officers from the Fishers Police Department. Wren said he has met with the HSE superintendent to discuss his concerns.

Wren praised the education his daughter received at HSE. She played in the marching band and served as drum major in her senior year.

He is skeptical about the operating referendum on this fall’s ballot. It would fund teacher salaries, class sizes and school safety. Wren said he is torn on the question and wants an audit of district finances before more money is requested. He also questioned whether HSE applies for grants. Lannan noted that the district regularly applies for grants, and that most Hamilton County districts are pursuing referendums after state changes to property tax law.

Other positions Wren discussed:

• Cell phones: Students would have to keep phones in their lockers, and school Wi-Fi would block social media. He supports the medical and disability exemptions in state law, as long as they are not abused.
• Academics: He wants more focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, including handwriting and cursive.
• School meals: Wren raised concerns about folic acid in enriched flour, citing YouTube personality Gary Brecka. Lannan asked him about Brecka’s qualifications. Federal health agencies have required folic acid in enriched grain products since 1998 to help prevent neural tube birth defects.
• Discipline: Wren said teachers he has spoken with feel they have lost control of their classrooms. He acknowledged that the examples he cited came from outside HSE.

Wren said he left the Republican Party because he was frustrated with both major parties. He does not agree with every Libertarian position, including on the death penalty and abortion.

In college, Wren served as vice president and then president of student government. He said that experience taught him how to organize and get things done.

“We may disagree on how to get there,” Wren said, “but I will work to secure our schools.”

The LarryInFishers.com podcast is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen to the full conversation at this link or the link below.