Letter to the Editor from SC Candidate, Liljegren

Letter to the Editor,

Thank you to all of those who supported my run for a position on Medfield’s School Committee. I felt genuinely called, for the first time in my life, to publicly stand up for good, for our kids, for our families. I was prepared to serve on our School Committee and work with the same enthusiasm and tenacity as you saw in my campaign. While I’m sorry I lost, I’m not sorry for all we accomplished. To those who voted for me, thank you.

I’m so grateful for the friendships formed and the extraordinary support I felt. We held signs, stuffed envelopes in kitchens and in bars, and ran around town delivering and picking up all manner of things. I felt I was part of a team. Thank you for being there with me, some of you every single day. You proofread reams of content, took my picture, brought me coffee, brought me flowers and brought us dinner. I got the full benefit of the Medfield of our dreams, people rallying around and helping. I am so lucky. We are so lucky.

Overall, the campaign was a wonderful experience. However, there were elements of the campaign process I found disappointing, even frightening. I spoke with many parents throughout the campaign who told me bullying was an issue in the schools, and unfortunately I got to see it first-hand. My children and I were harassed on social media, on sidewalks, and in our yard. Open discourse should be supported and welcomed. Harassment and bullying, however, should have no place in Medfield. We can and should do better.

Our children learn from our example. As adults we have a duty to not only communicate in a respectful and civilized manner, even if we disagree, but also to call out bullying and harrassing when we see it take place. While the behavior I experienced was deplorable, perhaps even more disappointing was the fact that current school committee members chose not to speak out about it early on. They could have used their powerful platform to send a message right at the start that such behavior is not acceptable, and the fact that they chose to stand silently by, because they "weren't responsible" for their supporters, should give us all pause. Many people in this town talk about wanting our schools to be inclusive and welcoming, but if the adults responsible for our schools do not act in that manner, what message does that send to our children? Are we only supposed to stand up for those who are on "our side", or if it somehow benefits us? Or do we want to demonstrate that standing up for others, even when it's hard or unpleasant, is the right thing to do?

I call on our school committee leaders, as well as our PTO members, MCPE board, and all others involved in our schools to be the “upstanders” we ask our children to be. An upstander is a person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause; a person who intervenes on behalf of a person being attacked or bullied. Our children will model the behavior of their trusted adults. To the Medfield School Committee, you are held to a higher standard as public officials. Be upstanders. I will, too.

Thank you all once again for all who supported my campaign. Even though I did not win, I discovered a passion to be involved in this wonderful town. There are many areas of town where I can help and I plan to do just that. Our actions determine the type of town we live in, and I look forward to working together as a community to continue to make Medfield a warm and welcoming place for all.

Lauren Liljegren, 83 South Street, Medfield