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Students host Fall River school committee forum as candidates outline priorities ahead of Nov. 4 election
Summary
A student-moderated forum at Durfee High School gave Fall River School Committee candidates a 60-second platform to discuss curriculum, mental health, special education, extracurriculars and the city’s reputation.
Durfee High School students moderated a Fall River School Committee candidate forum hosted by Fred TV and Durfee Student Government, where candidates answered student questions about curriculum flexibility, mental health supports, special education staffing and extracurricular programming in one-minute rounds.
The forum, held on the Durfee campus and broadcast by Fred TV, gave each candidate 60 seconds to respond to questions posed by student moderators Jack Rio, Jaslene Martinez, Madeline Hargraves and Leisha Boone. Pamela Nickerson served as the evening’s moderator and explained the event format at the start.
Candidates who spoke included Randy Dudek, Colin Dias, Kevin Aguilar, Mark Malecon, John Sylvia, Anna Riley, Emmanuel Monas, Chanel Stewart and Thomas Corey. They described a range of backgrounds: parents of district students, current district employees, retired educators and longtime community volunteers. Anna Riley said she had served 13 years as a superintendent; Randy Dudek identified himself as “a parent of two middle schoolers.” Colin Dias, who said he joined the committee in June 2024, described his approach as persistent oversight: “I show up to meetings that I’m not even a member of. I put in the hard work each and every day.”
Student moderators prioritized questions about how the district supports teachers’ classroom flexibility while meeting state standards, how the schools can improve mental-health supports for teens, whether participation in school sports should count toward physical-education credit, and how the committee would address special-education services and staffing shortages. Candidates gave short policy sketches and personal anecdotes rather than detailed plans; several suggested expanding counselor staffing, promoting extracurricular engagement and amplifying positive stories about the district.
The forum concluded with one-minute closing statements from each candidate. Several asked voters to support them on Nov. 4. The event organizers reminded viewers that municipal and school races on the ballot would be decided that day and encouraged turnout.
