We are tremendously fortunate to have Lana Dever running as a candidate for the WSESD school board. I have been a teacher in a public school for 16 years, and I am the parent of two kids who attend public school in Brattleboro; Lana is absolutely the person I want to help navigate our schools through the myriad of complex issues they are facing today.
I had the privilege of working with Lana in the fall of 2020 when we served together on the Community Safety Review Committee (CSRC). Each week during our meetings I observed Lana's deep commitment to listening.
During the CSRC meetings, we heard firsthand from people in our community who had been impacted by policing and mental health support systems. Lana listened and asked questions that moved this committee into a deeper understanding of the complex issues and problems we were hearing and thinking about.
Lana's lived experience as a Black woman and parent in Brattleboro and her work with many of our local nonprofits engaged in youth programs make her extremely qualified to serve on the school board. She has knowledge of many of the issues facing our youth today and will have social justice at the heart of her decision-making.
I'm writing as a member of the Community Safety Review Committee that worked to create a report and recommendations recently shared with the Selectboard. I found my work on this committee to be both collaborative and committed to uplifting the voices of people in our community who experience the...