Essex School Committee Votes to Launch Monthly Public Communications Plan

ESSEX — October 7, 2025 — Manchester Essex Regional School Committee approves monthly public communications initiative and hears youth survey showing one in four middle schoolers report bullying. The committee passed two motions at its October 7 meeting: the first charges the policy and advocacy subcommittee with developing a formal communications plan; the second directs the committee to issue a monthly written summary of prior meetings and upcoming agendas, to be drafted by a designated committee member, approved at each month's first business meeting, and distributed via local print media, district social media, and an opt-in email list. The communications push comes after Superintendent Pamela Lufkin disclosed a technical violation finding from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance — with no fine assessed and an estimated cost of $300 — stemming from a pre-election email she sent ahead of the spring Essex override vote. Separately, counselor Samantha Andara presented results of the district's spring 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which found that approximately 25 percent of middle school students self-reported being bullied on school property, a figure one committee member called "disheartening" and largely unchanged from 2018 data.