Alachua County Voters Support Diyonne McGraw

In August 2020, over 30,000 residents across all of Alachua County cast their ballots for Diyonne McGraw in the race for School Board of Alachua County. Her election ushered in a hopeful and historic era for our school District by creating a board majority committed to providing equitable educational opportunities and removing systemic barriers that have kept Black, disabled, and rural students from achieving their greatest potential. Ms. McGraw ran on a platform of positive change for the entire district and promised to increase access to resources for all students. She has fulfilled her promises at every step, and by signing this petition, we commit to standing with her as she continues to work hard for all the students of Alachua County Public Schools. 

Background

Ms. McGraw legally and in good faith registered her candidacy for School Board member with the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections (SOE). Her application for candidacy in District 2 was approved by the SOE based on her lawfully sworn home address and the SOE’s understanding that her residence was indeed in District 2. Ms. McGraw ran a tremendously positive campaign, despite efforts to smear her good name and good works. She was endorsed by the Gainesville Sun and many civic organizations, and she won the election with 52.4% of the countywide vote. It bears repeating, school board elections are countywide ballots, so the majority of voters across ALL of Alachua County voted her into office. Her victory came from her hard work and the courage of her convictions, and she had the broad support of the community.

Unfortunately, due to outdated and unclear district and precinct maps that show her residence outside of District 2, there is now a concerted effort to remove this hard-working reformer from office and stop the desperately needed progress she has committed to making. To be clear, Ms. McGraw applied to run for school board in District 2 because that is where the district maps indicated her house was located; any claims that her intentions were anything other than honest and honorable are unfounded and shameful. 

While we fully support administrative efforts to clarify and update district boundaries, we firmly believe that Ms. McGraw, who was elected by ALL Alachua County voters, should remain as a fully voting member of the school board representing the voices of our County’s most vulnerable students and families. Efforts to remove her from the board or prevent her from voting on school board decisions are politically motivated, which ultimately will hurt our children and families in our community. We have to fight back! Please, sign this petition to keep Ms. McGraw in the current position as a member of the Alachua County School Board.