Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.

MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide

Name: Dzung “Dan” Nguyen

Current job title: Manager – Business Systems and Transformation

Political party affiliation: Non-Partisan

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: None

City where you reside: Anaheim

Campaign website or social media: N/A

Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for heavier restrictions on smartphones in schools, pointing to studies that show the harmful effects of social media. How do you see schools restricting smartphone use? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

During instructional time in class, smartphone use should be restricted (just like we adults turn off our cell phones during work meetings, presentations, etc.). We should also provide guidance to students about potential online risks and dangers, and we should have a way for them to report online bullying.

How can your district better harness artificial intelligence technology for learning while also protecting kids from another tool that can be used for bullying? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

We can seek advice and recommendations from experts in the software field to see how we can take advantage of AI technology in a safe manner. We can also find ways to help teachers utilize AI to assist them in educating students.

Any AI technology being used on computer resources owned by the district should be monitored and logged to check on and protect student users. The district will also warn student users about this logging and monitoring.

As with smartphones, we should also provide guidance to students about potential risks and dangers from using AI, and we should have a way for them to report AI usage in bullying.

What are the top two needs of your school district, and how are you prepared to address them? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

The district has had to deal with a few challenges recently (the ousting of the superintendent, the recall of two board members, the ongoing discussion regarding parental notification policies, etc.). After the recall, OUSD has five elected members and two appointed members. With this election, we will have a board where all seven members are elected. Instead of having preconceived ideas about the needs of the district, we should start with being open and listening to all perspectives and points of views, listening with our ears and our hearts, with no prejudices or biases, and then see what the district’s needs are and start working together in addressing them, for our students, who are our future. We all need to work together: OUSD’s board, schools, teachers, parents, and students.

What experiences and priorities do you bring to the table for this role? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that make you the person for this job? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

I have been working in the private business sector for 42 years. I usually need to work with a team (or teams) of people in different disciplines to address and resolve our issues. This experience will help me in working with experts in different areas to address various needs and challenges. I’m willing to learn and acquire information in new areas with which I’m not familiar. I will listen to ideas and viewpoints from different perspectives before making decisions that would be best for the end customers: in this case, it would be the students and families of OUSD.

California has a new law, set to go into effect in 2025, that prohibits districts from enforcing what’s been called parental notification policies, rules for school employees to contact parents if their child may be changing their gender identity. What do you see as the role of parents in education? Is there a limitation? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Parents should be, and need to be, involved in the education of their children. They need to encourage their students to work hard, try to do their best in all classes, pay attention to the materials being taught, be respectful of their teachers, etc. Parents need to work with teachers and schools, paying attention to the progress or lack of progress of their children.

Regarding parental notification policies, if a child may be changing their gender identity, we tend to oversimplify this issue by having the policy (or law) either require or prohibit schools from notifying parents. A “blanket policy” will not work for all students and all families. This can be a very emotional challenge for a student and their parents. Some parents may be supportive, but some may also react very negatively to this. We need to be flexible, treating each case individually and with care. It’s unfair to force teachers or school administrators to become the enforcers of a blanket policy. It would be better to have a trained professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, talk with the student, find out more how the student would feel talking to their parents, and then make a recommendation.

What role do you see your district playing in combating climate change? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

The district can continue and expand the use of solar/green energy at its schools and various other district facilities. Additionally, information about climate change, based on proven scientific studies, should be considered as part of the curriculum.

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