Jurdene Coleman of Manhattan declared candidacy for an at-large seat on the USD 383 School Board. Coleman turned in over 80 signatures on candidacy petitions for School Board at the Election Clerk’s Office earlier this morning.
Coleman said her work with children and families of Manhattan is what inspired her to run. “I am excited to announce my candidacy for the School Board. My work in community mental health puts me in a unique position to hear directly the issues of students and their families with the school system. The most common complaint, by far, is bullying and I intend to run on a platform centered at an overhaul of the anti-bullying practices of the sch
ool district.”
Coleman, who has raised two children who attended USD 383 schools, said “as adults, we remember bullying as getting punched on the playground but today it’s more subtle with gossip and social exclusion. And with social media, it’s happening 24/7. Our kids are bombarded with hateful messages all day, every day and we as school officials need to understand that and have a way to intervene.”
Coleman hopes to assist the district in adopting or creating a concrete plan for how schools handle reported instances of bullying. She said “Our students need to know that when bullying is reported or seen, school administrators will address the issue using predictable, fair, and concrete consequences that encourage conflict resolution and developing problem solving skills.
Coleman, a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist at Pawnee Mental Health Services, earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Kent State University in Ohio, and a master’s in Family Studies and Human Services from Kansas State University. She, her husband Eric, and their two children moved to Manhattan for her education but they soon decided to call the Little Apple their new home. Her husband is a police officer at the Wamego Police Department.
“Manhattan has a way of growing on you. Once our kids got involved in school sports and activities, we knew we were in the right place.” Coleman said she spent many Friday nights at Bishop Stadium cheering on her son, who was a Manhattan football player and her daughter who was a cheerleader.
Coleman attends University Christian Church, where she serves as a monthly nursery leader and is part coffee bar staff. She was recently appointed to the city’s Special Alcohol Fund Advisory Board. Coleman also serves on the Kansas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Board and the Marriage and Family Therapy Advisory Board through the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board.
“I also understand that we are in a financial crisis with the state legislature making decisions as we speak about how to improve education funding in the state of Kansas. We need to be prepared to utilize other resources to fund our schools while also putting pressure on our legislature to make the right decisions for our children.”
Coleman said she knows the Manhattan High School mascot discussion is a divisive topic and she plans to thoroughly review the charges and final outcome data from the MHS Committee. “I want to be part of a Board that makes the best decision for the students of Manhattan High School, current, past and future. We live in a world where sometimes your voice isn’t heard if you aren’t part of the majority, so I am excited to see the committee is comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders”.