Data provided by the Agency of Education shows that Vermont schools cumulatively spent about 320 school days closed, or missing at least half their kids, during the 2021-22 school year.
“Teachers go to do their grocery shopping and see people without masks. They go to get gas and they see people without masks. They see all of this. They hear their kids talking about the big crowd at the birthday party, the big crowd at the Halloween party.”
The Union Elementary cases have been cited by state health officials as the first case of within-school transmission of the virus.
Also Monday, the Montpelier-Roxbury School District reported four new cases of the virus at Union Elementary School in Montpelier. The new cases are all in the same classroom as the two cases reported by the school last week.
Many say officers in schools are assuming a disciplinary role, and students would be better served by social and mental health services.
