This post originally appeared on TheHumanist.com.
By Sarah Levin
This is part of The Humanist’s monthly series highlighting openly nonreligious elected officials across the nation. Because of the work of the Center for Freethought Equality, the political and advocacy arm of the American Humanist Association, there are over 120 elected officials at the local, state, and federal level who identify with the atheist and humanist community serving in thirty-four states across the country. Join the Center for Freethought Equality to help politically empower the atheist and humanist community—membership is FREE!
The Center for Freethought Equality’s advances have been groundbreaking. Prior to the 2016 election, there were only five state legislators and no members of Congress who publicly identified with our community; because of its efforts, today we have seventy-three state legislators and a member of Congress, Jared Huffman (CA-2), who publicly identify with our community. It is critical that our community connect and engage with the elected officials who represent our community and our values—you can see a list of these elected officials here.
School Board Member Clayton Moore
Representing California’s Victor Elementary School District
“Our ‘North Star’ for all decisions is, ‘what is best for our students?'”
School Board Member Clayton Moore, who identifies as an agnostic, is now serving his third term on California’s Victor Elementary School District (VESD), where he has served since 2014. He is a high school English teacher and has lived in the high desert since 1999 with his wife, Therese.
Within his role on the School Board, he has worked to expand services available to families to support behavioral health and trauma-informed programs. As a Trustee, along with his fellow Board Members, he has a supervisory role over the Superintendent and the District finances.
Moore also serves the community as a member of the Mountain Desert Economic Partnership (MDEP), which works to align education and career pathways so that the High Desert has a locally trained and talented workforce. He is also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Sarah Levin: What motivated you to run for office?
Clayton Moore: I am a member of my local Democratic Party club. I was invited to run for school board because Victorville has separate elementary and high school districts. I am a high school English teacher, so I was eligible to run for the office. However, I discovered through completing my Masters In Governance training that I had a lot to learn to fulfill this role. Like in sports, one must play their position on the field for the team to succeed.
Levin: What are your policy priorities and how does your nonreligious worldview impact your policy platform?
Moore: As a Trustee of the Victor Elementary School District in Victorville, California, our “North Star” for all decisions is, “what is best for our students?”
We issue an annual report that defines our goals and the steps taken to achieve them. Over my three terms in office, we are showing continued progress on our top issues of concern: safety, attendance, standards-based curriculum, and extra professional development in literacy.
Our district has developed The VESD Basics, which are 14 principles to guide our conduct. Everyone helps everyone else. We believe in each other.
Levin: Why was it important for you to be open about your nonreligious identity?
Moore: I feel free to value all sides with equity. That is among our written Board Policy statements. I accept nature and science and I personally support LGBTQ and Trans rights.
The topic of faith is not addressed in our meetings. Religious groups occasionally participate in some of our schools as secular volunteers. Essentially, our personal views are private. We encourage everyone to think for themselves.
Levin: How did voters respond (if at all) to your openness about your nonreligious identity?
Moore: This has not been an issue in my area. People are welcome to make inferences from my comments, but no one has discussed topics related to faith at our Board meetings, although there is opportunity to speak during Public Comments.
There has been no particular response from voters about my religious identity. I am in my third term, so I view that as an endorsement of my position. The VESD Basics describe respectful conduct that our staff models for our students, as we all work to improve student learning.
To learn more about School Board Member Clayton Moore:
