Tuesday, March 8th, is Voting Day for most SB2 Towns. The designation of SB2 was the bill that allowed towns to migrate from the traditional Town Meeting style of governance that NH is famous for by splitting the “Deliberations” and then voting by secret ballot (Town meetings do both at the same time with everyone looking around to see how you voted). That day, here in Gilford, there are two open seats for School Board – Chair Gretchen Gandini is “retiring” and Karen Thurston’s term is up. Right now, there are four candidates that I know about:
- Koleen Crawford
- Nicole Hogan
- Jessica Jacques
- Michelle Tyler
Of the four running for those two seats, I know that Hogan and Jacques are more Progressive in outlook and have been active in the effort to take away choice from Parents and advocated for Government to decide on masks and vaccination during this WuFlu epidemic. They spoke up at School Board meetings so I decided to do an RSA 91:A demand to see what they may have demanded of the School Board.
And I did note that only one School Board member responded to their emails but more on that later.
But regardless of what they may say tonite at the Candidates Night, here are their actual pleadings to the Gilford School Board members concerning masks. In all cases, they want other Parents’ leanings to be ignored. They don’t care what the outlook of other Parents might be – they want THEIR will imposed upon others. Reformatted, emphasis mine
From: Nicole Hogan <
Sent: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 09:13:38 +0000
To: jonos@sau73.org
Subject: Masking
Hi Jeanin,
This email is a formal request to the school board to institute a mandatory mask policy at GES. Our family has been affected by the explosion of cases in fourth grade and this could have been avoided by common sense school-wide mask use. The students at GES are unvaccinated and vulnerable. Sending my own kids to school in masks is NOT ENOUGH to keep them protected…everyone needs to mask in order for it to work.
<redacted>
We will get through this; however, I do not feel safe sending my kids back to school without school-wide masking. Please consider implementing a policy to take affect as soon as possible. The CDC and State of NH guidelines all support masking. It’s common sense to protect Gilford families.
Thank you,
Nicole Hogan
Sent from my iPhone
And this was sent to Gretchen Gandini, Kyle Sanborn, and Audra Kelly individually around the same time frame as well. Why not Karen Thurston? Oh yeah, I believe she was “all in” for universal masking so no persuasion there.
I have no problem with anyone stating their mind – that’s what Free Speech is all about. What I DO mind is their sense of “Safetyism” (aka, Safety and Security) is to be shoved upon other families outside of their own. Each time I have seen something similar, why do they think they can impose themselves onto others? If they were that so concerned about their kids, why don’t they keep them at home and not interfere with the lives of others? Especially those that may well not share their values?
Wouldn’t THAT have been far more considerate and caring? Not only to mention, safer for her children? To be at home? Why not homeschool your children?
Jessica Jacques, M.Ed, also weighed in with a couple of emails:
From: Jessica Jacques <
Sent: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 18:23:00 -0500
To: kbeitler@sau73.org;Danielle Bolduc;psawyer@sau73.org;ggandini@sau73.org;kthurston@sau73.org;jonos@sau73.org;ksanborn@sau73.org;akelly@sau73.org
Subject: Concern of COVID 19 safety protocols
Dear Superintendent Beitler, Principal Bolduc, Principal Sawyer, and School Board Members,
I am once again finding myself in a predicament where I am disappointed with The School District’s lack of safety protocols and proactive measures to prevent further spread of COVID 19. I am a fellow educator that truly wants to be supportive and understands that we are once again in an unfortunate situation. I want nothing more than my children to be in school thriving. However, this year, I feel school has become unsafe.
Mostly, I am upset with the lack of further safety protocols as cases rise at our elementary school. I am appalled that we can send out a communication to a class that has a cluster and now a total of 5 positive cases ending with, ““Masks are recommended but not required during this time.” I know not everyone in the community shares this same sediment [sic] and many want to believe COVID isn’t that bad. Clearly allowing the mask optional isn’t working and as stated on page 5 of The State of NH COVID 19 school and childcare toolkit. NH DHHS recommends face masks for everyone when responding to cases or clusters of infection in a classroom or facility.
At this point, it feels like the elementary school is about to be considered an outbreak. Something more preventative needs to happen and if it is, then that information is what needs to be communicated out to families. I want to know, when is The District going to start creating safety protocols and plans that are more reflective of the recommendation of the toolkit and more aggressive to combat the spread of COVID once in the school?
Thinking back to last year at this time when COVID 19 was blowing up in our schools. The District leadership team proposed all schools be fully remote from Thanksgiving to the New Year to combat the increase in the community spread. At that point in time, the community spread level was substantial at approximately 7.8%. As of today, even though some may argue our numbers are relatively low compared to total population, our hospitalization rate has almost tripled from this time last year, our spread rate is once again substantial, and lastly the community spread is at a high of 9.2%. How is it even possible that we wouldn’t even consider instituting a mask policy for everyone?
Taken from Governor Chris Sununu’s daily update on COVID 19 statement, “The situation here in New Hampshire remains very serious, the data shows that community transmission is increasing, and we expect cases to rise.” “We must all remain vigilant in our daily lives. As we enter these winter months, it will be more important than ever to wear your mask, practice social distancing, and maintain proper hand hygiene.” This needs to stop being a political issue period! This needs to be about preventing the spread, keeping our schools open as well as our children safe. I appreciate you are all in a difficult situation once again. It is time to start doing better by our children!
Sincerely,
Jessica Jacques, M Ed
No, we don’t and many more of us actually followed the science by reviewing and watching the NH COVID dashboard where it showed that there was only ONE death amongst the 187,000 school aged children in NH. Yes, a tragedy and yes, other children came down with it. But the cloth masks, as the CDC is NOW just admitting, are worthless (like the TSA security theatre of taking your shoes off before going into the “detection” area of an airport). So are most paper masks – you need N95 masks – and how many children were already not wearing masks correctly? They did nothing but give folks a false sense of “Safety and Security”; just look at Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess who told folks over and over again that he did everything to a “T” – and still contracted COVID.
Social distancing in classrooms with young children? Fine to say but impossible to do.
Again, I will say it – if you are that concerned about your kids, keep them at home. Isn’t that the safest place for them to be? And you chose the right profession, holding a Masters in Education!
Again, just like with Hogan, why impose your beliefs on others?
Too often I have heard and seen the same thing over and over – the Maskers demanding their way and just tossing what other Parents want into the trash can. No reciprocity at all. You just didn’t want to put up with the “inconvenience” of having them home. There’s certainly a disconnect in all that Hogan and Jacques demand along the lines of “Fine for me but not for thee”.
And she wrote another:
From: Jessica Jacques <
Sent: Sun, 21 Nov 2021 12:27:22 -0500
To: kbeitler@sau73.org;Danielle Bolduc;GretchenGandini;kthurston@sau73.org;jonos@sau73.org;ksanborn@sau73.org;akelly@sau73.org
Subject: Concern with COVID 19 safety protocols
Dear Superintendent Beitler, Principal Bolduc, and Board Members,
Thank you for at least considering some sort of mitigation strategy, but I feel strongly that much more needs to be in place. At this point the continued exposure has taken place. classroom has suffered the consequences for the lack of protocols. It is upsetting that it had to get to the point of cluster status with 6 positive cases in one classroom, for the leadership team and school board to enact some sort of mitigation strategy.
I hope parties at all levels have learned from this week. You have children at GES and the other levels with underlying medical conditions. <redacted> That is the thing you never know who will be greatly impacted by this virus and who will just have mild symptoms.
I am so angry that people in charge of keeping our children safe, healthy, and learning are making decisions based on popular viewpoints or political issues rather than utilizing resources provided by medical experts and suggestions put together by the NH DHHS as well CDC. It is time to have serious conversations outlining specific safety protocols that will be implemented to mitigate further spread once one case of COVID occurs.. There needs to be a plan for when enhanced mitigation protocols beyond just mask wearing need to be enacted such as if a cluster occurs at a building.
I do appreciate that since my last communication there seems to have been some discussion and movement in the right direction behind closed doors. However, I don’t feel masks for just <redacted> classroom is enough. Especially, since students switch for math and writing. Maybe that practice has paused or should pause. At recess, students mingle throughout the grade and some will have masks and some won’t. With what has transpired this week, there needs to be a more aggressive approach and in my opinion there should be other mitigation strategies in place like moving desks apart (at least 3ft if not 6ft), no more time at the rug for instruction or morning or afternoon meeting, perhaps lunches should be back in the classrooms, and lastly at recess you probably should have classes in different areas kind of like cohorts.
I appreciate your time, I know none of these decisions are easy, and hope to see more progress towards making schools more safe for all children and staff of this district.
Sincerely,
Jessica Jacques, M Ed.
Let me pull one line out of that which goes to the heart of why people disagree with her statement:
I am so angry that people in charge of keeping our children safe, healthy, and learning are making decisions based on popular viewpoints or political issues rather than utilizing resources provided by medical experts and suggestions put together by the NH DHHS as well CDC.
I will say again what I said at a School Board meeting: I don’t elect experts to rule my life. The medical people have one and only one thing in mind – their expertise and too many of them demanded that ONLY their opinions mattered. Jacques is just trying to amplify that and demanding that the rest of us “fall into line” and treat our kids the way she wants to treat her own.
Sorry, Life is more than just one issue – it is a multidimensional. LOTS of data points and activities, belief systems, actions, other “stuff” play into decisions and no one person can make a single decision that is right for everyone. To demand that they can are wrong.
I am concerned, however, that in demanding something from Government, Jacques believes that she isn’t “political”. BY DEFINITION, any time you are interacting with Government, trying to influence Government, or demanding something of Government, you are involved in politics. Say otherwise is just smoke and mirrors.
OTHER peoples’ viewpoints MATTER. Political issues MATTER. To deny them of their outlook in a Representative Republic should be anathema to any Citizen.
Would this attitude, like Hogan’s, be a portend of what future decisions, and the way they would be made, be problematic for those that dissent?
Oh, that bit about Gretchen Gandini with a covert endorsement? Her reply to Nicole Hogan’s missive was short and somewhat cryptic:
From: Gretchen Gandini <ggandini@sau73.org>
Sent: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 05:42:16 -0500
To: Nicole Hogan
Subject: Re: Masking at GES
Thank you for reaching out. I will keep trying, Nicole. Thinking of you and your family.
This can only be interpreted that Gandini is/was all in for Universal Masking. But this reply to Jacques makes that much more clearer:
From: Gretchen Gandini <ggandini@sau73.org>
Sent: Sat, 20 Nov 2021 07:50:37 -0500
To: Jessica Jacques
Subject: Re: Concern of COVID 19 safety protocols
Jessica,
Thanks for your email. Sharing info with the full Board as you did is the best hope of changing things. I will also be honest with you, yours is the second contact the full board has received from a parent with a concern about the protocols.
As has been the case throughout this pandemic, there must be consensus of the majority of the board to shift protocols and that is not the case at this time.
I also want to remind you, as I have before, that there will be an election again in March with two open positions for the school board. I encourage folks who have a vested interest in policy decisions within the schools to consider throwing their hat in the ring.
I will happily be completing my second and final term on the board in March and certainly hope that some new independent folks come in with energy, enthusiasm and strong voices.
Take care,
Gretchen
Gosh, I contacted the entire Board in the hopes of changing things – see how well THAT worked out, eh?
Yeah, reading between the lines here but I’m not thinking that either the folks that I will be voting for, because of their cherishment of Freedom and Choice, will not be either Hogan or Jacques.