HAVERHILL — Pressure is mounting against the Haverhill Cooperative School Board following the board’s vote earlier this month to make masks optional in the town’s three schools amid the largest surge of COVID-19 the Upper Valley has seen since the pandemic began.
Nearly 90 employees of Haverhill schools issued a no-confidence vote in the School Board and is calling for the reversal of the masking policy and the resignation of the three board members who voted at a Dec. 13 meeting to make masks optional in the town’s three schools.
“I believe it sends a statement that the staff is unhappy with the board’s decision,” Nancy Musgrave, president of the Haverhill Cooperative Education Association, said of the no-confidence vote.
Separately, a group of community members also is gathering signatures for a petition asking the board to schedule a special meeting to put masks in schools to a public vote. Both the school employees and the community members say the board is putting the community at risk by acting against the recommendations of public health officials and the wishes of the majority of parents, who in a recent survey said they would prefer that masks be required until cases in the schools return to zero.
Most schools in the Upper Valley require both staff and students to wear masks.
“We’re really the only school district in the area that has chosen to take this route,” said Dylan Farr, a former board member who is spearheading the petition effort. “It’s baffling, I think is the word for it.”
Farr said he plans to submit the petition to the board once it garners 150 signatures. Neither the petition nor the employees’ request that the board members resign are binding, but they aim to signal discontent.
The board voted 3-2 with one abstention and one absence to drop its previous targeted masking approach, which required masks in classrooms after cases were detected, in favor of a mask recommendation for students with no requirement other than on school buses. The three board members who supported relaxing mask requirements included Michael Aremburg, Stephanie Chase and Alexandra Keeler. School Board Chairman Dick Guy and board member Don LoCascio opposed it, while John Rutherford, the board’s vice chairman, abstained from the vote, and board member Sabrina Brown was absent.
School staff are still required to wear masks unless they are teaching with 6 feet of distance between them and their pupils.
On Tuesday, the last day before the schools’ winter break, there were a total of 17 active cases of COVID-19 in the district’s schools, including eight at the high school, five at the middle school and four in the elementary school.
State and federal health officials currently recommend masks in schools, particularly when COVID-19 transmission rates are high as they currently are throughout most of the country including the Twin States.
In a statement of no confidence, which was signed by 86 employees, the school employees describe the strategy of recommended masking as “negligence” in light of the high rate of transmission in the region and the demand it has placed on hospitals.
“We have serious concerns that some school board members have acted based on individual agendas which have nothing to do with what is in the best interest of the students, staff, families, and the greater Haverhill community,” the statement said.
Musgrave, who teaches second grade, said she has noticed a decrease in mask use since the board’s Dec. 13 vote. She also said that because masks are optional, it’s not clear to the teachers which students aren’t wearing masks of their own accord and which aren’t wearing them due to their parents’ wishes.
While teachers don’t want to return to remote instruction, Musgrave said she worries that rolling back the mask requirement will put Haverhill schools at risk of having to return to that model of learning. She also said she’s concerned that potential substitute teachers, some of whom are retired teachers, may be discouraged from helping out in Haverhill schools due to the lack of a mask requirement.
“Our staffing is already at a minimum,” she said. “When you have staff members out … you’re really stretched thin.”
The board is scheduled to meet next on Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. online via Zoom and in person in the middle school gym. Masks are recommended.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Several Upper Valley locations are included on a list of places in Vermont where people can pick up free antigen COVID-19 tests this week and next.
In a Tuesday news release, Gov. Phil Scott announced the state would be handing out 60,000 free rapid tests. In the Upper Valley, tests will be available at:
■Springfield Medical Care Systems at 51 Pearl St., Level 2, in Springfield from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Dec. 23 and 30.
■Little Rivers Health Care at 65 Main St. North in Wells River from 2 – 6 p.m. on Dec. 23 and 30
■Vermont Agency of Transportation at 223 Beswick Dr. in White River Junction from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Dec. 23, 24, 28, and 29
■Mt. Ascutney Hospital & Health Center at 289 County Rd. in Windsor from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1 – 4 p.m., Dec. 23 and 30
The tests will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each kit contains two tests. For Agency of Transportation sites, there is a limit of five kits per household. For other sites, the limit is one kit per person present.
NEWPORT — A walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic is scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Sugar River Bank Community Room.
The clinic, which is to be held at 20 North Main Street in Newport, is open to people ages 5 and older and is to be held from 4 – 7 p.m. First and second doses and boosters are available.
No insurance or appointment is required.
CONCORD (AP) — The Executive Council refused to fund six more walk-in vaccination centers Wednesday but reversed course after the governor pleaded for reconsideration.
The five-member council that approves nominations and contracts was asked to approve paying Convenient MD $7.2 million to set up vaccination sites in Concord, Exeter, Keene, Manchester, Nashua and Salem. Led by Ted Gatsas, three of the four Republican councilors initially voted against it, over concerns that the contract wasn’t put out to bid.
“You have just shut down six walk-in sites when the entire state is complaining that they can’t get a vaccine. I am begging you to reconsider,” Gov. Chris Sununu said. “If we have to put this out to bid, it will not happen for literally months. These walk-in sites are absolutely critical to managing this pandemic, stopping the spread and getting hospitalizations down.”
When Gatsas protested that he wasn’t looking to eliminate sites, Sununu interjected “Yes you are, you just did.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” said Gatsas. “What I’m looking for is fairness.”
Gatsas suggested awarding contracts to three companies to operate two sites each. But Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said Convenient MD was chosen based on its resources and the urgency of opening the sites as soon as possible.
“The same companies that are complaining to you have received sole source contracts at some point in this pandemic,” she said. “We have 460+ people in the hospital now. We need to get needles in arms now.”
Republican Janet Stevens joined Democrat Cinde Warmington in voting for the contract. On reconsideration, all five voted in favor.
Also Wednesday, the state judicial system announced a pause on all superior court jury trials and grand juries through January because of rising COVID-19 cases. Chief Justice Tina Nadeau said the decision was partly due to an increasing number of jurors who have had to drop out because of sickness or exposure.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
