Why I Am Supporting Summer Boger for the SDUHSD School Board

Character Is Revealed in How We Accept Accountability

By Lea Wolf

I did not come to support Summer Boger lightly.

As a Tat Jew and Israeli who has lived in the United States for over 40 years, I take school board leadership seriously. As a mother and education advocate, I have spent years speaking up for students and families. I know the consequences when those entrusted to protect students dismiss concerns, deflect responsibility, or silence the people asking questions.

We are launching an education reform initiative built on three pillars: governance, oversight, and integrity. At its core is a concern that reaches beyond education: the erosion of moral integrity. We need leaders willing to tell the truth, acknowledge mistakes, and accept responsibility for correcting them.

Character is revealed through words, actions, and patterns, especially when someone is challenged. A mistake matters. How someone acknowledges it, accepts responsibility, and responds matters too.

That is why I am supporting Summer Boger.

I have attended nearly every SDUHSD school board meeting for years. I have watched candidates make promises and seen what happens after the election. Our community needs leaders who listen, answer difficult questions, and take responsibility for their decisions.

I have watched Summer face a difficult and deeply personal challenge. When a slide from her 2023 presentation became the subject of criticism, she addressed it directly. She wrote a personal letter to the Jewish community, took responsibility, and made clear that antisemitism has no place in our schools, our party, or our community.

I believe her. Her response matters to me.

Addressing concerns about antisemitism requires a willingness to listen, understand why something caused harm, explain your intentions, and account for your actions. It also requires following through. That is what I expect from anyone seeking public office.

Summer’s commitments also inform my judgment. She attended the Christians United for Israel Summit in Washington, D.C., and trained with the Salt and Light Council. She has publicly committed to championing our Judeo-Christian values and heritage and to upholding the United States Constitution and the rights and freedoms it protects.

These commitments matter. So does how she puts them into practice.

Summer shares a commitment at the heart of my work: stopping hate and bullying, wherever they come from and whoever they target.

I founded Let’s Speak Up™ after witnessing how schools mishandled bullying, sexual harassment, and other misconduct, and how those who spoke up were silenced. I know how much courage it takes for a child to ask for help. I know what it costs when adults fail to act.

Our students deserve leaders who recognize that responsibility. When a student reports bullying, harassment, or antisemitism, the response must include listening, examining the facts, protecting the student, and addressing the behavior. Accountability must follow authority.

Academic achievement matters. So do the conditions in which children are expected to learn. When a child’s suffering is dismissed or made worse by the response, the harm reaches beyond that child. Families, classmates, and witnesses can also feel frightened, discouraged, and powerless. Free speech and academic freedom should never serve as excuses for ignoring intimidation, harassment, or threats.

I am concerned about the growing influence of organized pro-Palestinian activism on our school boards and how leaders will respond when advocacy crosses into antisemitism, intimidation, or harassment. We need someone willing to uphold students’ rights and stand firm against misconduct.

I believe Summer will.

I ask our community members to read her letter, ask questions, and consider her response and commitments. My support reflects my judgment of her character and my expectation that she will follow through.

Summer Boger has my support. If elected, she will also have my expectation of transparency, responsibility, and accountability.

Our children deserve nothing less.