Schools open with masks, Ludlow man continues to object

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

At a Thursday, Sept. 2 meeting, Two Rivers Supervisory Union Superintendent Lauren Fierman once again explained that when schools reopened, which they did on Tuesday, everyone in the schools would be masked for the first 10 days and after that any building that had 80 percent of its students vaccinated could make masks optional.

She also noted that masks would be required on school buses regardless of the individual building status and that masks would not be needed if students were outdoors.

One difference from what Fierman said at an earlier public forum, school nurses will not be using the state vaccination database to determine the percentage of students vaccinated. Instead, as outlined in a memo from Education Secretary Dan French last Friday, schools will have to collect signed attestations from parents who must also supply proof of the vaccination of their child.

The discussion of Covid protocols was preceded by the appearance of Ken Saccardo, a Ludlow resident who had repeatedly interrupted the GMUSD meeting two weeks prior and called that board’s members “cowards” for delegating the protocol authority to Fierman.

At this meeting, Saccardo began by saying he had sent emails to members of the board with links to information about the danger of requiring children to wear masks, but had not received any reply –  “thought I might get a ‘thanks for sending’ or something.”

“I am here for the children,” said Saccardo noting that he did not have to appear, and that he appreciates that the board is also volunteering its time. Then he told them they are violating the Vermont statute that requires public notice before adopting policies. Saccardo said that the “unilateral delegation” of authority to Fierman was a policy change that had not been warned.

He also accused the board of “invading our rights to bodily autonomy” as well as discrimination against the disabled and religious discrimination.

These assertions were contained in what Saccardo called an “affidavit of fact” that he handed out to the board members present and that he said he would send to the others by certified mail. Calling it a “legally binding document,” Saccardo suggested that the board have a lawyer review it.

“In our legal system there’s a 14-day rebuttal period,” said Saccardo, “so I welcome that.”

The document says that a lack of rebuttal to the affidavit establishes the truth of Saccardo’s assertions. In a separate document he also sets forth that children are the property of their parents and that there are fines for trespassing on the parent’s property in the amounts of $500,000 and $1 million. According to Saccardo, these can be levied against anyone who “trespasses” on his property via a commercial lien on that person’s property.

On Tuesday, Fierman said she would run the document by the TRSU attorney and had no further comment.