Cady Hosts an Education Town Hall
by Irene Wrenner
December 6, 2021
A town hall-style meeting organized by Elizabeth Cady, Essex Westford School District Board Member, took place at the Holy Family / St. Lawrence Community Center on Friday, December 3rd at 7 pm.
According to publicity, parents and taxpayers were asked to gather to “address concerns, ask questions and brainstorm solutions” regarding EWSD issues.
While the event was not sanctioned by the school board, EWSD Director of Equity and Inclusion Erin Maguire was among the 70 or so attendees. Insisting that she only came to listen, Maguire eventually agreed to answer several questions about the school’s equity policy. She also offered to speak one-to-one with anyone who has further concerns.
Cady, for her part, provided a list of consecutive steps for parents to follow when they have a complaint about their child’s education.
In addition to Cady, newly-announced candidate for School Board Juan Coleman was on hand to introduce himself and field questions.
The audience was generally respectful of others’ viewpoints, many of which concerned current personnel or policies. Audience members reported a lack of response from administrators or the board to their emails or comments at meetings. Several said they found time restrictions on comments to be especially frustrating.
The meeting ran just over its allotted two hours