By Guy Page
Mike Desautels, owner of a Newport store who was fined by the State of Vermont for not observing state mask mandates during the State of Emergency, today said his mask-free daughter is being kept out of class and in a guidance counselor’s room with no other students, no windows, and no teacher. Her Northeast Kingdom school is enforcing this isolation even though the student has a doctor’s note exempting her from wearing a mask.
“I got a doctor’s note for my daughter so she doesn’t have to wear a mask at school. She was in school for a week when the school nurse called us and said we have to have a diagnosis on her doctor’s note or she has to put a mask on or can’t come to school. I said I am not getting you more information because that is my daughter’s personal medical records. The superintendent said she will not be allowed in school without the diagnosis.
“I called my lawyer who also told them that they cannot have that information. The NCSU lawyer wrote my lawyer and said she can’t be in school without it. My lawyer then sent the guidelines from the department of education and said we will not give that information and they better let her in school and not wear a mask.”
“Then we get an email yesterday afternoon from the principal:
Dear Mike & Amy,
As you requested, here is the information regarding classroom participation for your daughter. Your child will be offered a mask upon entering the school building unmasked. The mask offer was declined today. Per direction from Superintendent John Castle, Friday, she will be isolated in the classroom to the extent possible. Tuesday, she will be isolated outside of the classroom if she is not wearing a mask or does not have a diagnosis from the doctor.
Regards,
Anita
“So this [Wednesday] morning in school my daughter was pulled out of her class. She was sent to the nurses office, where she stayed with the guidance counselor. I am not sure but the guidance counselor is a certified teacher? We need a little guidance – do we pull her out? We can’t leave her in a room with no windows or a teacher. I can’t leave her in school like this. How can they be allowed to do this?”
Editor: readers are encouraged to provide possible solutions in the ‘comments’ section for this article.
SCHOOL BOARD CANCELS MEETING WHEN UNMASKED PARENTS APPEAR – Mask-free students aren’t the only Vermonters being excluded from normal school processes. As reported in the media, the Missisquoi Valley (Northwestern Franklin County) School District board cancelled a school board meeting in progress last night. An on-the-scene witness, Suz Seymour, offered this account in an email last night:
“I went to attend the Missisquoi Valley School Board meeting tonight in Swanton, and literally, as we were walking down the corridor to enter, a flood of folks came walking out and said ‘The meeting has been cancelled.’ I watched as many from the school board all in masks, furtively skirted away from us, the JQ Publix (almost all not in masks). Questioning the parents in the parking lot, they said that they had entered were very far away from the school board members, and were asked to put masks on before the meeting could be called to order. The board chair said ‘I’ll call this meeting to order as soon as everyone puts on masks.’ Nobody did. So he said, ‘Okay this meeting is cancelled.'”
The MVSD dashboard shows 10 cases reported in the last seven days in its Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin schools.
County Courier (covering Franklin County) editor Greg Lamoureux today asked Gov. Scott if a State of Emergency would be needed to restore the functioning of local government. Scott said he didn’t think that would be necessary.
SCHOOL MASK MANDATE EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 4, VAX INCENTIVE GRANTS OFFERED – Gov. Phil Scott announced today the ‘advisory’ that all students and staff remain masked has been extended to October 4, in light of the high transmissionability of the Delta wave of Covid-19. He also said Agency of Education officials are preparing a grants totalling an estimated $2 million statewide to incentivize schools to reach an as-yet-undetermined threshhold of vaccination of eligible students – perhaps 70-80%, he said.
Students will have a say in how the money is spent, Scott said. Vermont Daily Chronicle asked him about the possibility of bullying by incentive-minded students:
“Your new school guidance gives students a say in how to spend millions in state grants if their school gets to 80%. That’s dangling a lot of money in front of children. Are you trying to incentivize children to exert peer pressure, and in any case how will you prevent zealous students from bullying uncooperative peers?”
“It’s a good project for kids to get involved with. It’s a good exercise for them,” Scott said. “Our education department will be monitoring the situation,” he said in an assuring tone, but added: “We want them to get enthusiastic.”
Support Vermont DailY Chronicle TODAY for $9/MONTH
Categories: Education
This is rediculous. Non-taxpaying minors with more control over how school money is spent than parents and other taxpaying adults. The EWSD school board is doing the same thing, using children to further their own political and social justice initiatives, at the exclusion of parent say and involvement. School boards and the establishment are guilty of literally pitting children against other children and parents. Scott include!
All the students need to go on strike!!!!!
This is child abuse. I’d remove her from school immediately and home school her. Plus file a lawsuit against the school.
File that lawsuit in another district not being headed by Teachout – she is FAR from a constitutional judge! Blood on the hands of the judicial system as well.
This is nothing short of child abuse. The teacher, principal, school board, superintendent, Governor Scott, and Dr. Levine should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for promoting these policies and Coercions.
I couldn’t agree more! This has been going on for way too long one form or another.
FIRE the School Board Members for dereliction of duty! They are elected and we pay their salaries. We Pay the Taxes that support the schools and all it’s infrastructure.
When the School System fails it must be replaced. Time to Cancel, Fire all members who are not performing their duties in treating the children with respect and teaching them Reading, Writing, Math and TRUE History of America’s Greatness. No CRT, No sexual depravity, No BLM!
We dictate HOW and WHAT We want our Children to learn! The values are NOT dictated by the School or the Government it is dictated by the Parents.
The Children are not be used and held hostage for MONEY as in the $2million Carrot being dangled from Commie Scott, who wants the abuse of children by having 70-80% shot-up with experimental death shots!!
This is from the Vermont School Board Association website – LOOK AT NO. 6!
https://www.vtvsba.org/ewtk-op-roles
Efficient and Ethical Operations:
Roles and Responsibilities
School Board
1.Operates with the highest legal and ethical standards
2.Adopts policies and protocols governing effective and ethical operations
3.Governs the business of the district through meetings conducted in accordance with Vermont’s open meeting law
4.Participates in opportunities for board development and training
5.Handles quasi-judicial hearings in a consistent and orderly fashion and arrives at clear, fair conclusions
6.Understands they are community trustees to assure quality education and that taxpayers get a great return on investment, not the operators of the school
Superintendent 1.Along with the board chair, participates in eight hours of legally-mandated training annually 2.Oversees procedures for legal compliance with all applicable laws and regulations 3.Supports the board in ensuring compliance with and regular review of policy 4.Attends all meetings of the board
•Provides staff at board meetings when appropriate for minute taking and other supports
•Ensures that the technical provisions of the open meeting law including posting warnings, agendas, and meeting minutes are followed
5.Assists the board in obtaining opportunities for board development
6.Obtains legal resources and supports for the board when necessary16 V.S.A. 563 16 V.S.A. 561
I reviewed requirement 6 and obviously school boards are more interested in pushing their political and social justice agendas then educating children and providing a return on investment to taxpayers. In the EWSD, the school board or school is actually sending emails out to minors, without parental consent. This is being done to drown out taxpayer voices and concerns, in favor of children running our schools through the political guise of social justice. The school board then subverts parent and taxpayer objections to their policies by stating that this is what the kids want. I saw no reference to the desires of children in the stated guidelines.
Possible solution: The student could wear a mask, satisfying the majority of our VT community.
Why should the student or her family do such a thing. I sent a scientific paper to the Essex High School principal written by a neurologist. The findings in the paper support that a child’s developing brain needs oxygen and that masks inhibit enough oxygen that it could result in developmental issues in children’s cognitive development. She noted that the impairment will not be deterectable immediately and not until children are older. Needless to say the principal could have cared less and told me to contact the governor. Good luck contacting the governor’s office and actually getting a response. There is no viable evidence that masks stop COVID-19. This is all political and about controlling the masses.
Two choices from the looks of it – fall over the cliff with good sheep like Frank or take the action saltlightfaith has laid out – Australia here comes Vermont! Child abuse to the max…
Great report Guy!
Requesting an evaluation for a medical 504 plan might be an option, but this would require disclosure of the student’s health information.
Wow. Someone’s child subjected to solitary confinement. If I’m not mistaken, the ACLU considers that to be a form of torture.
Notice the use of the parents’ first names, and the Superintendent’s use of her own name with no title. I can’t help but wonder if this breach of basic professionalism was a purposeful attempt at manipulation. If not, is “Anita” incapable of composing a letter with any level of professionalism?
I wonder if she realizes how much better off she is than the rest of the students. Hopefully the room is also sound proof.
Evil – no other word for this or anything to do with harsh, immoral, unethical treatment of children or elders using a 99.7% survivable illness as an excuse. Pure evil
Mike and Amy, thank you for your care and support for your daughter. I have so much empathy, my son is in a similar situation. He hasn’t been able to go to school at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington. He was refusing to wear a mask, so they evacuated the kids from his classroom and left him in it alone with 2 adults guarding the door. They called me to say he was suspended. I talked to my son and he stated he was fine with staying in the classroom with the guards all day- to make a point- but then the principal said they would contact DFS if they knew I was able to pick him up and was refusing to do so.
I know that in the long run these ”educators” will be commonly known as child abusers.
THANK YOU to Guy Page for running these articles about the important work these young people are doing!
I am so sorry to hear of the threats being made to your son and family. There is no valid science that masks stop COVID-19 or they would have done so, as most of our population wore masks religious and/or were isolated from each other for almost a year. I applaud you son’s bravery!