DavesPaper.com | by Patty Michaud | December 12, 2021
Good Saturday morning to everyone!
It’s been an interesting week. As many of you know we had a MSAD#27 school board meeting this week. I’ve been thinking about the outcome all week. I am truly disappointed yet not at all surprised. Please be patient as I paint a picture best I can so you can feel or envision what my husband and I and other concerned citizens in attendance experienced.
Here is a bit of history. There are many of us parents in Fort Kent (and surrounding communities served by MSAD #27) whom are not in favor of our own children having to wear a mask to attend school, play sports or attend school after school activities. We attended the prior month’s meeting. Few members of our group spoke, school board members voted (two abstained for lack of enough information since MD advisor was not there) and nothing changed…students were required to continue to wear masks…that piece of cloth.
[DP Editor Note: Additional Reading, MSAD #27 American Rescue Plan]
Moving forward from that meeting, parents whom wanted to donated whatever money they wanted to hire a lawyer. In my mind a lawyer is usually last resort, however we as parents do have rights and our children have rights too! Parents from Fort Kent went around obtaining signatures for a petition to present to the board. The petition was done according to how petitions are done and checked by the Town Clerk and signatures were verified. This was presented at the meeting.
So the meeting was scheduled at 6 pm. Hours before the meeting a notice from the superintendent goes out that we are all to wear masks to the meeting. How do you think that made us feel? Even before the meeting, we felt push back from our school leader. It was not a warm welcome to start.
We went early. We entered wearing no mask as did some other parents. Those of us who wanted to speak publicly or give our time to others signed a form stating our name and community. The gym was set up with chairs on the left and chairs on the right. The chairs were evenly spaced apart…social distancing…imagine we sleep together so I asked my husband to get closer…also imagine we see students huddled together on bleachers for other events… I hope you are following.
The parents in favor of no masks or optional masks ended up sitting on the right. The parents in favor of masks or wearing masks and the hospital and school employees were mostly seated on the left. In front the school board members were seated at two tables. Picture Toby, Abby, Keith J., Ben at one table on the left and Gary, Sarah, Leroy, Izzy at another table on the right. The reporter is clicking pictures and the person recording the meeting is setup as people walk in and gather. Now we have all been told by word of mouth prior to the meeting that the meeting will be cancelled or adjourned if parents get out of line so already again we were not even at the meeting and feeling unwelcome. Yet we are all very strong minded parents, patriots, standing tall and proud for our children and future students so we were not put off by any of those fear tactics. The meeting was recorded.
Please watch the full recording. https://m.facebook.com/watch/live/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing&v=422644806188054&_rdr
There was opportunity for people from both sides to speak. We have some great speakers. The messages were heartfelt even though some on the opposite side had criticism.
Let’s face it. We will NEVER all see eye-to-eye on everything. And I doubt that is our goal. Yet we as parents ALL or should ALL want to do our very best for our own children and family. So if you want to wear a mask, have your children wear a mask, get a vaccine, have your children vaccinated, GO AHEAD!!! If we as parents do not want to wear a mask, do not want our child to wear a mask then we should have that right too.
It was brought up that we should wear masks to protect others. Really??? How is that working out??? The elementary school had to close because in the pool testing there were many, many children whom tested positive for CV. Keep in mind there are many false positive tests.
Then to add insult a vote is taken after the medical advisor spoke. Keep in mind the medical advisor is an employee of the hospital and at this point of the school. Regardless of what she is paid, she is paid money. If you need your job will you go against your employer? Ok! But to add insult to all this the superintendent did confirm what we knew. Wearing masks is part of a SOP that is followed to get money.
Same situation at the hospital. If hospital protocols or standards are followed, money is received. If protocols are not followed money is denied or there are fines to pay.
So parents let me ask you, since when is it our children who have to suffer so that our school and hospital can meet their budgets?? Free money is never free…someone pays.
We are not in a state of emergency because of masks. The numbers have gone up since people are proudly lining up and having their children line up. We all know the treatment is what will injure people most. Read and research.
What is most disturbing about all this is Toby, Izzy, Abby, Sarah, and Heather (former FKES principal’s daughter) basically had an email meeting prior to the meeting. Gary and Leroy were not in on it.
So we as parents are not well represented. We will fix that soon. Open your eyes people. See what is happening. There is a double standard. We will never give up!
Our children need us.
We are not puppets!
Patty Michaud, a registered nurse lives in Fort Kent, Maine with her husband, Keith and their daughter.
