The Kearsarge School District deserves a big A-plus for the arrangements it has put together in this time of coronavirus.
I am a grandmother who picks up her grandchildren at the middle school and high school this year. I have been so pleasantly surprised by the school’s planning as we face these unprecedented times.
When picking up my grandchildren, I initially expected total confusion. However, I’ve been pleased at how organized and well run it is. Additionally, the students come out of school smiling with their teachers all masked and they seem to be having a great time.
My granddaughter tells me about mask breaks, lugging heavy books, and how nice it is to be back in school with friends who are now “her pod” and who all watch out for each other.
The district is very clever to have offered choices so that students and parents could choose the type of learning experience that best fits their family needs and lifestyle. My grandchildren both asked to go to school full time.
So, having made their own choices, they are making sure that it will work.
With the uptick in cases, some of them being in the school system, the entire school district has responded quickly and efficiently to minimize the spread of the virus and re-opening in a safe manner.
All the teachers, support staff and administrators deserve a big thank-you. My grandchildren are now my mentors in handling how to navigate life in the time of the coronavirus. Keep up the great work.
ELIZABETH MELLER
New London
I am writing in response to a recent discussion the City Council is having regarding defunding the police in Lebanon (“Activists say slash police budget,” Oct. 24).
The police are the first responders to a broad range of public safety issues and serious crime. Those who want to commit crimes will continue to rob and steal from us, sell drugs to our kids and kill our loved ones, and it will only get worse.
If the police are defunded, there will be a delayed response when people who are in need call 911, fewer police available to patrol our streets and neighborhoods and a lack of police capacity to respond to serious crimes that present significant threats to our public safety.
Criminals do not care about anyone’s race, sex, skin color or socioeconomic status. They only care about themselves. And the less afraid they are, the more we and our neighbors will all suffer, including those who want the police to be defunded now.
I support all the brave men and women who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect our community. Restricting their abilities to handle crime is not going to lower crime.
If you are against defunding the Lebanon police, then I highly encourage you to contact your City Council representative and voice your support immediately.
RAMZI HRAIBI
West Lebanon
I am a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. I also live in Vermont, the most democratic socialist state in the U.S. I also lived in Sweden, the most democratic socialist country in the world, where I was employed by its government.
I firmly reject the simplistic proposal by the Lebanon chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America for a 50% reduction of the police budget (“Activists say slash police budget,” Oct. 24).
It is wrong to presume that residents will have the choice only to fund guns or butter. One of the problems is the regressive tax policy of New Hampshire. The members of Democratic Socialists of America should direct their energy to fix that.
JON APPLETON
White River Junction
Hello? 911?
Help! Someone is downstairs breaking into my house.
Send a social worker, quick!
ROBIN CARPENTER
Lebanon
There is more and more evidence of toxicity in laundry products, especially in scented detergents, dryer sheets and fabric softeners.
When you wash your face mask, use a fragrance-free or nontoxic soap or laundry product or you will be inhaling those toxins every time you wear your mask.
You can visit the website of the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to protect human health and the environment, for more information about the dangers of scented laundry products.
Go fragrance-free for you and me, and please vote!
NICKY CORRAO
Thetford Center