by Guy Page
Parental rights are at the forefront of the Essex School Board race, as seven candidates compete for three open spots.
For Essex Village, Juan Coleman and Marlon Verasamy are vying for one open seat. Both men have careers in the military, with Coleman being a current Air Force serviceman.
Coleman supports parents’ rights in the school and thinks his voice will add cognitive diversity to the board, which he says is essential towards successful schools. On Coleman’s website, he states, “I will represent diverse thinking and provide our school community with a unique perspective that lessens the hyper-focus on racial equity and encourages cognitive diversity.”
“I was educated in public schools and private schools in North Carolina and then attended a Military High School in Virginia,” Coleman says on his website. “I went on to college and attended Norwich University where I majored in English and Political Science.
“During my time at these institutions, I realized discipline and love coincide with one another. These make up the recipe for achieving self-awareness, personal accountability, and academic success. I currently serve my country in the Vermont Air National Guard,” Coleman said.
Verasamy denies CRT is being taught in schools, supports the BLM flag, supports the EWSD Equity Policy, and supports the proposed budget.
For Essex Town, Roger Drury and Earl Barber have teamed together to put the focus back on core academics instead of age-inappropriate social issues. Both men have children currently attending EWSD.
Roger Drury also has a military background, and with three children in the schools at Essex, his focus is to “listen to constituents, balance requirements vs desires, and explore the return of industrial arts to middle schools (7-8 grade).”
Earl Barber, again with a military background, succinctly says on his website: “I am a pro-parent (not anti-teacher) candidate that would like to see our schools re-focused on core-curriculum education.”
Their competition is Roger Carpenter, a man selected by the Board to fill a vacated position and describes himself as a white, straight, able-bodied male enjoying a great amount of privilege;
Al Bombardier, a decades-long member on the Board who has twice voted to fly the Black Lives Matter Flag; and Laura Taylor, who has been a vociferous critic of current school board member Elizabeth Cady.