Landenberg resident Ruchira Singh joined the race for Avon Grove School Board for a very local reason — to support building maintenance in a district where her two children were enrolled. She soon found that the relatively neutral issue that concerned her blossomed into something much more, according to WHYY reporters Mallory Falk and Katie Meyer.

Singh, who is running as a Democrat but considers herself an independent, was approached at a meet-and-greet by somebody who wanted to know her stance on critical race theory (CRT).

She hadn’t even heard the term before and had to research it.

As Singh’s candidacy advanced, she found herself questioned about CRT numerous times. It, and other contentious issues far beyond the infrastructure concerns that got her into the race, seemed to dominate conversations.

Eventually, candidate appearances got even more heated.

Race was entering into the proceedings, and Singh felt hostility that may have been related to her Indian-American heritage.

Soon, Singh realized that these hot-button issues are what are driving more people to the polls.

“The threat of ‘indoctrinating the kids’ is a lot more effective in getting people out to vote versus just, ‘Hey, I think we need more money to continue maintaining our schools,’” said Singh.

Read more about the changing tenor of local school board elections at WHYY.