On October 1, 2024, Leandra Blades, president of the Placentia-Yorba Linda (Calif.) Board of Education appeared at a candidate forum at Travis Ranch School in Yorba Linda and recounted what she and her colleagues achieved over the past four years. A former police officer who was reluctant to seek elective office, Blades recalled how she was persuaded to run for a seat on the Board of Education by concerned parents who wanted “a voice in their children’s education.” So she threw her hat into the ring and was eventually elected to the Board in 2020. At the time, the schools...