With a very heated election day just around the corner, the upcoming school board election for Roxbury will happen on the same day. Three of the nine seats on the Roxbury School Board will be put up for election on November 5, with two teams of three candidates each running together to push their agenda forward in the Board of Education.
This election has many consequences and effects, even if it seems like just another generic local election with a typically low turnout. The six candidates include one incumbent board member, Kathy Purcell, who is running on the “Education First” ticket alongside Caitlyn Barba, and David Faulkner, Jr. – the candidates opposing the “Education-Respect-Growth” ticket include Andrew Schlam, Mirna Hernandez, and Kim Hopkins. And while most times when it comes to these local elections, we don’t get any direct insight into the candidates’ plans or personality, this time around there was a live-streamed debate as part of Lincoln Roosevelt’s Meet The Candidates’ night. Throughout the event, the candidates agreed on many points – and disagreed on many others.
A major concern for students since the policy that protected LGBTQIA+ students in Roxbury, Policy 5756, was repealed following a heavily politicized campaign that centered itself around the issue of LGBTQ+ youth and their rights to protection from discrimination or targeted harassment or bullying. During the Meet The Candidates Night, these candidates were each asked a question regarding the policy, their opinion on its repeal, and what they plan to do if elected – and to the surprise of nobody, this topic is just as divided as it was last year.
Candidates on the Education-Respect-Growth coalition argued that the repeal was a grave mistake, stating that it has indeed impacted students – although they were not aware of what magnitude specifically. They stated that there needs to be a stronger responsibility from the administration to protect students from all kinds of danger, harassment, and bullying – as many LGBTQ+ youth do not have as many people they can trust and rely on to keep that secret, especially if they are keeping it a secret from their parents due to their family’s opinion on the LGBTQ+ community. One of the candidates on the ticket, Andrew Schlam, stated “Taking it away, we took away the dignity and respect of the community that depends on that guidance for safety,” – going on to say “I absolutely respect parental rights to raise children the way you like in your home. But that is why there is public education that is federally mandated, to prepare people post-12th grade to enter a trade, to continue their education, to be good digital citizens and productive members of society.”
This is a major issue in America, with a severe mental health crisis already impacting our youth in general, that issue is even worse for LGBTQ+ youth, with 49% of LGBTQ+ students aged 13-17 experiencing bullying over the past year, with 39% of LGBTQ+ youth (including 46% of transgender & non-binary youth) seriously considering suicide in the past year, and more than 1 in 10 (12%) of LGBTQ+ youth have attempted suicide in the past year, according to a recent survey from The Trevor Project.
Mental health is also tied to this issue, with 66% of LGBTQ+ youth recently experiencing anxiety and 53% of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing depression – and access is another issue entirely, one that Policy 5756 has made much more difficult as a result of rescinding the only local policy that guides staff and guidance counselors on these topics and how to properly handle and speak about them. This same survey from The Trevor Project also states that nationally, 50% of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted to access mental health care in the past year have not been able to get it as a result of a lack of availability of mental health resources, a lack of guidance for counselors and social workers, and the rapid politicization and villainization of LGBTQ+ youth and Americans on all levels – from Congress to school boards across America with predatory groups like Moms for Liberty continuing to spread misinformation and hatred towards LGBTQ+ Americans, and especially to youth.
While LGBTQ+ youth is certain to be a big topic for this election, another is likely going to be the budget – as Roxbury’s budget for schooling is proposed to be increased by $3 million by the current Board, something that citizens are concerned they might not be able to afford as the money is likely not all going to be funded by the State and could very well likely lead to increased taxes if approved by the Board. Prices are a growing concern for working Americans and are regularly considered the top issue among working-class voters in America.
Results of the Roxbury School Board election will likely be available on the evening of November 5 through Morris County’s official website for election results.
