COLUMBUS, Ohio — Trailing in the polls in the race for Ohio governor, Democrat Nan Whaley continued to call out Gov. Mike DeWine for not agreeing to a debate on Thursday.
"It is disrespectful not only to me but to voters," said Whaley during a gathering of news media.
Both candidates were the featured speakers at the Vote for Ohio Kids conference, which is a non-partisan coalition of educators and health care providers. After DeWine spoke, he went out a back door of the Franklin County Convention Center without talking to the media.
With more than 800 in attendance, both candidates were given a series of questions that range from childhood suicide, improving early childhood education, and eliminating adverse childhood experiences like homes where drug addiction, domestic violence, lead paid and mental health issues can derail a child's education growth.
A top question for the candidates is how they intend to fix a glaring problem: education readiness.
Last year, the education department found nearly two-thirds of Ohio's kindergartners were not ready for the next grade.
"That first goal has to be when that child goes to kindergarten they're up to the starting line," said DeWine.
"This is a really, really personal decision for families instead of the government saying fit into our mold instead we want to fit into your family I think that's really important, said Whaley.
DeWine told the crowd his administration has spent over $1 billion that has been pumped into school over the past two budgets.
Whaley said, if elected, she wants more mental health clinics in schools across the state.
She took issue with DeWine signing several guns laws, including one that would allow teachers to be armed in the classroom.
Whaley also blamed the states gun laws on high children suicide.
"The reason why children suicide is so high is that children have unlimited access to guns," says Whaley.
Both candidates addressed the issues of mental health calling it unacceptable that children are having to wait months for help.
Governor DeWine says his administration is working to incentive more people to get into the field of mental health through paid internships.
Whaley says, if elected she plans to add more mental health clinics in schools.
Those in attendance say issues like infant child mortality (Ohio ranks #10 in the country), low hourly wages for child care providers and better incentives to encourage people get into the fields of child mental health all need to be addressed by whoever wins the November election.