Madeline Scott

Disclaimer: All information about this candiate was directly obtained from their website and/or social media account. The feature of this candidate in our election guide does not equal an endorsement. CAIR Oklahoma is a registered 501c3 organization and non-partisan.

Candidate Details

OK House District: HD 101

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website:

https://www.madelinescottfor101.com/

Email:

madelinescottfor101@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MadelineScott101/

Biography

Madeline Scott is a 7th-grade social studies teacher at Jarman Middle School in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Madeline is a third year teacher, and a fifth year educator. Madeline is passionate about equitable education, she believes every child deserves a quality education regardless of their socioeconomic background. This drove her to be a part of the Urban Teaching Preparation Academy where she received extensive training on how to best assist at-risk students. As a teacher Madeline has seen first-hand the hardships which budget cuts put on many of these students. This led Madeline to advocate for public education for years and feels that now is an excellent time to get more teachers into the state legislature. She first ran for office after the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout in 2018 when she was dissatisfied with her representation. Since then she has continued to advocate for her students and fellow Oklahomans. Born and raised in Plano, Texas, she grew up as the middle child of five. As the daughter of a self made man and mother with humble origins, the importance of quality education and helping others were instilled in her at a young age. Growing up Madeline watched as her father, a disabled veteran struggled to find adequate healthcare not only for himself but for Madeleine’s younger sister. Watching her parents advocate for her sister inspired Madeline to help others in need. This is why she decided to attend Oklahoma State University to pursue a degree in Elementary Education where she held leadership positions in various club organizations. It was at OSU where Madeline met her husband Ethan. Upon graduation they settled down in Choctaw, Oklahoma. They have two lovely dogs, Pepper and Millie.

Survey Issues

What do you want your Muslim constituents to know about you?

I grew up in an interfaith household [Jewish/Christina] in an immigrant neighborhood that was mostly black, brown, and asian. Many of my classmates were Muslim and taught me a great deal about their faith. Growing up with them helped me grow into the person I am now. I watched them fight for acceptance once we were in high school and had more white classmates than before. I watched my friends stand up for one another and show up for each other in such a wonderful way. I want to be able to elevate the voices of my non-white, non-christian constituents. Not because their voices matter more, but because their voices are often spoken over. If elected I hope to work closely with CAIR to address the needs of the Muslim population.

Platform Issues

Education

As a teacher who specializes in urban education and working with students who have experienced trauma, I have firsthand experience with the struggles our most underfunded schools face. One in four children in our state go to bed hungry. Our Classrooms don’t have enough seats for our students. We need a state government that is going to address this issue with the level of urgency our students need. This means bringing our certified teachers back to our schools, ensuring funding is directly benefiting our classrooms, updating our textbooks with up to date modern curriculum, and guarantee our classrooms are a safe and welcoming environment for all our students. Investing in our students is investing in the future of our state. It’s our job to create a strong foundation for them, as they move our state forward in the years to come.

Healthcare

I’ll put it simply. We need to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma. On multiple occasions now, we have passed up opportunities to accept federal dollars to increase accessibility to affordable healthcare in our state. No one should have to worry about the cost of going to the doctor, or whether or not they are going to be able to afford a life-saving surgery. I watched my parents go into medical debt caring for my younger sister who has autism, bi-polar disorder, and seizures. No family should financially struggle simply to provide their child with medical care.

Criminal Justice ReformMadeline Scott is a 7th-grade social studies teacher at Jarman Middle School in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Madeline is a third year teacher, and a fifth year educator. Madeline is passionate about equitable education, she believes every child deserves a quality education regardless of their socioeconomic background. This drove her to be a part of the Urban Teaching Preparation Academy where she received extensive training on how to best assist at-risk students. As a teacher Madeline has seen first-hand the hardships which budget cuts put on many of these students. This led Madeline to advocate for public education for years and feels that now is an excellent time to get more teachers into the state legislature. She first ran for office after the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout in 2018 when she was dissatisfied with her representation. Since then she has continued to advocate for her students and fellow Oklahomans. Born and raised in Plano, Texas, she grew up as the middle child of five. As the daughter of a self made man and mother with humble origins, the importance of quality education and helping others were instilled in her at a young age. Growing up Madeline watched as her father, a disabled veteran struggled to find adequate healthcare not only for himself but for Madeleine's younger sister. Watching her parents advocate for her sister inspired Madeline to help others in need. This is why she decided to attend Oklahoma State University to pursue a degree in Elementary Education where she held leadership positions in various club organizations. It was at OSU where Madeline met her husband Ethan. Upon graduation they settled down in Choctaw, Oklahoma. They have two lovely dogs, Pepper and Millie.

Working in our most vulnerable communities, I have seen the direct impact our criminal justice system is having on our families. It is heartbreaking to have to watch a child grow up with a parent who is incarcerated for a nonviolent offense. One in fifteen black men are incarcerated in Oklahoma. The current system continues to keep people of color behind bars and that is simply unacceptable. We need to look towards reforming our parole and sentencing processes to drastically reduce our prison population. Our state incarcerates more people per-capita than anywhere else in the world and need leaders who will step up to the plate to create a criminal justice system that works for all Oklahomans. I believe investing in reformative measures over punitive ones will help Oklahoma families stay together.