The item was the last on an agenda that covered typical board of education items, from following up on the status of leaky roofs, its proposed budget for the coming year and recent hires and retirements, and less typical but more frequent, a battery of speakers who spoke against masking students. 

In the public discussion portion of the meeting, over 20 speakers took up the topic of unmasking students, with two speakers making an impassioned plea to continue masking until the pandemic recedes.  

(Note: The city council has a similar resolution listed in the agenda for its upcoming meeting. And it appears the most recent version of the resolution has been altered to include the city council as well as the board education.) 

One of the two speakers who favored masking, called out both members of the audience, over half of whom were unmasked and Republican board members, all of whom, were unmasked. 

“I will remind all of you, much to your chagrin, that masks are required inside this building,” said Nickie Laporte. “You shouldn’t have been able to miss the piece of paper. It’s right by the elevator, highlighted in pink.” 

Commissioner Dante Tagariello, Republican, responded that he checked with an attorney prior to the meeting, and the attorney said it was not necessary for people to wear masks. He did not mention the attorney and was reprimanded for speaking out of order. 

After people addressed the board, they were asked to exit the meeting room, since there were other people waiting in the lobby to speak and occupancy was already at a maximum. 

The other speaker to encourage the current policy of masking, Mayra Berrios, said, “You (board members) are far too busy trying to satisfy a handful of parents, who clearly love their children, but spread misinformation and lies which are so dangerous.” 

She advised commissioners to talk to principals and teachers. 

“I spoke to a principal who expressed that her biggest concern, a major concern for Bristol schools is homelessness,” she said. 

“They (commissioners) would see that they are wasting too much time on less than one percent of our population and what they think,” she added. 

The majority of the speakers spoke against masks and one by one followed a line of thought reiterated the negative effects of masking and its impact on their children. 

“Join us in calling for an end to Lamont’s executive rule and the mandates that have directly resulted in the loss of people’s businesses, incomes and retirements, severely impacted our children’s mental health and education, as many parents have represented to you over the last six months, your inaction is acceptance,” said Susan Zabohonski, who identified herself as a local founder of Families for Freedom. “We need you to be our voice.” 

Jen Van Gorder said, “The children are not okay. They are suffering and while under your care. Yet many of you and our governor continue to ignore this at the price for normalcy.” 

Several children were among the speakers. 

On the sign-up sheet with the first 13 speaker’s names and addresses, the following reasons for addressing the board were listed: no masks in schools eight times, parent’s choice two times and mandates once. Two speakers addressed Critical Race Theory. 

While the resolution did not explicitly mention unmasking students, the resolution would position the board of education to take that step. 

Many of the speakers were familiar with the resolution, mentioned it in their comments, and encouraged board members to vote to pass it. 

During discussion of the resolution, Kristen Giantonio, vice chairwoman and Republican, who said she drafted the resolution with several unnamed officials, and who shared it with her Republican colleagues prior to presenting it at the board meeting, said masking was not the motive behind the resolution. 

Giantonio said, “This motion has been very clear and has come about because of the current deliberations going on in the state is an attempt to request the governor to consider that local boards of ed would like to resume local control. It has nothing in here that said anything about masks.” 

Board chairwoman Jen Dube, Republican, said she emailed a copy of the resolution to board members Jan. 31. 

The three minority members of the board, Democrats, objected to the timing of the resolution, since the governor is already considering lifting the mask mandate, along with negotiating an end to some or all of his emergency executive powers. 

Democrat Shelby Pons said, “It doesn’t feel like we are being acknowledged or engaged in these types of conversations and I would like to say that I would appreciate in the future when we are going to put forward something like that that we be included in the conversation in a resolution that represents all the constituents in Bristol.” 

She added, “I am confused as to the purpose of this. I understand that people are frustrated with the masks and are over the mask thing. I get it. It’s frustrating.” 

Pons referred to the science behind the emergency executive decisions, based on the most recent science and new developments with the coronavirus and variants, and that comments from the governor in recent days and how they might be lifted. 

Pons motioned that the resolution be postponed until after the governor decided what direction he would take. 

Democrat Chris Wilson, who joined the meeting virtually, seconded the motion and implored his Republican colleagues to consider the nature of a resolution, which might reflect the wishes of the entire board rather than one segment of it. 

The motion to postpone failed and discussion about the resolution resumed. 

Commissioner Erik Carlson, Republican, interjected, “Schools are falling apart and this the actions of the governor are directly causing it.” 

Tagariello toted the merits of collaboration, and that the state would benefit from more collaboration with local boards of education. 

Wilson, in his closing comments, said that it was clear this resolution was not the result of collaboration, and such a statement should represent all the people of the city not a particular segment. 

“Today marks 10,000 people dying in Connecticut, and when one person dies in a pandemic it’s just not the dead person that we reflect upon in all the destruction and I think it’s important that we always apply ourselves to the safety and the protocols of safety to all of our students and all of our staff. This policy is a good policy and I support its policy. I am not sure where the people who wrote this resolution got their information.” 

“The authority for education does not come from the local municipalities. It comes from the state. The state decides when students go to school. The state decides what criteria teachers and administrators have so to say that to bring local control back to the board of education is kind of a misnomer because we have never had control entirely. Now we have some control and we have lost some control we have had.” 

Masking would be one area where the local board has lost some control, he said. 

Regarding the resolution, he said, “I understand it didn’t address masking, but it seems to me that is what it is all about. 

Giantonio responded, “The resolution asks for policy making authority back to the district, that is the sole governing mission of the board of education. It’s written in the statute that boards of education are responsible for local policy making that will affect their local school district.” 

The motion to accept the resolution passed along party lines, 6 to 3. Two Democratic members of the board, Pons and Karen Vibert, asked that their names not be included on the resolution.  

Among other board business, Superintendent of Schools Catherine Carbone reviewed the education budget, which reflected just about a 2.5 percent increase from last year. 

And in other business, Asst. Superintendent Michael Dietter announced that the Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School was on time and on budget. As a point of interest, he featured a stream of photos of the interior, including the newly installed light fixture in the theater. 

Analysis: Masks provide entry for broader issues, meaning resolution

By Rit Carter

Wednesday night, Bristol’s Board of Education (BOE) met for its monthly meeting on an unseasonable damp winter evening.

The facility was at maximum capacity, and everyone was playing nice on the surface. However, without doubt, the 800-pound gorilla in the room and the reason for the tight quarters were the anticipated fireworks during the public comment section of the meeting and the rumor of a resolution crafted by Republican members to unmask Bristol school students. Like an expected NASCAR accident, it’s the reason most were there.

Since at least June, masks in schools have dominated the public comments portion of the meetings, overwhelming the proceedings with the same 10-20 anti-mask activists championing their removal from Bristol public schools.

In August, the BOE meeting at Bristol Central was suspended because they refused to wear masks.

The next month, they upped the ante.

Roughly 20 protestors stood outside of the BOE before the September meeting. They waved American flags, used noisemakers, and demanded BOE chair Jen Dube resign with catcalls of “Jennifer Dube, resign, you are a disgrace to Bristol!” All this while a revolutionary war drummer tapped out rudiments.

With that as the backdrop, Wednesday’s meeting would be the latest chapter in this ongoing drama.

Like an occupying force, 17 speakers of the anti-mask movement seized the microphone and denounced masks in schools, some forcefully, some passionately, and some sarcastically. Only two speakers who supported masks spoke.

Some will say the empaneled republicans were merely responding to the citizens who elected them. While others will offer, the activists won them over because no consistent counter-narrative was provided. Regardless, the Democrats were caught flat-footed by a resolution advocating that policymaking be returned to the local boards of education. Authored by Vice-Chair Kristen Giantonio, it was read into the record and unanimously supported by her republican colleagues. The creation of such a document should not come as a surprise, though.

Some Republican members of the Board met outside the BOE meeting with the anti-mask group. During an exchange on Facebook with a resident, Board member Todd Sturgeon acknowledged he was invited and attended an anti-mask meeting. Sturgeon also said he would meet with pro mask people as well if so asked.

His attendance at an anti-mask meeting is not proof of a coordinated effort between the groups. But clearly, one would be naïve to think that the question “How can we get around the mandate?” was not asked.

In all likelihood, the resolution is just the first salvo launched should the governor not lift the mandate. No doubt more are to come from other Boards of Educations and town councils.

The Bristol Board of Education meets on the first Wednesday of every month.

***

What follows is a transcription of the resolution from an audio recording. 

Whereas the State of Connecticut has been operating under a state of public health emergency declared by Governor Lamont for nearly two full years and  

Whereas the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic has ebbed and flowed while our understanding of the virus and the ability of our healthcare system and local government to manage it has steadily increased and 

Whereas there was no current emergency which prevents or prohibits state or local government from meeting to make policy for their constituencies and 

Whereas our system of laws and justice in Connecticut and throughout the United States of America relies on a recognition that individual citizens are the highest authority when it comes to their personal choices, including but not limited to decisions affecting their health, travel, employment, association and customary lawful behavior and  

Whereas local town governments, including our Board of Education [and City Council—added since the vote], is the proper body to determine policy affecting the citizens of our town and 

Whereas our local government has been restricted in making policy for our town and our school system by the actions of Governor Lamont and state government agencies under his control, including but not limited to the State Department of Public Health, and the State Department of Education and  

Whereas state government and the governor of the state and their employees for the next several weeks to adopt legislation extending the authority of the governor unilaterally to override the proper power of local government, and to diminish the right of the free citizens to exercise their own liberty and judgment and 

Whereas the Constitution calls on three co-equal branches of the government and the legislative branch debates and passes laws, and executive branch enforces those laws and administers state government and 

Whereas the people of our town have spoken and expect us to act on their behalf, to defend our constitutional freedoms, and to set policies for our town.  

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Bristol board of education in regular session assembled calls upon governor of the state Connecticut, and Connecticut General Assembly to rescind any executive or legislative authority created in response to COVID 19 pandemic that overrides a proper local control of the Board of Education of the city of Bristol and to halt any further similar actions by the executive or legislative branch.  

Be it further resolved that the board of education shall be restored as the policymaking body for the local school district as it was prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. And then it shall make policy in keeping with the state and federal constitutions and the consent of the people who elected them to Office. 

To be sent to Gov. Ned Lamont, Matt Ritter who is the speaker of the house, Martin Looney who the president and pro temp of the senate, Charlene Russell Tucker, Connecticut State Board of Education commissioner, and Manisha Juthani, MD, Connecticut State Dept. of Public Health, according to Jen Dube, chairwoman of the Board of Education.