BoE Protest

By Aidan Palmer, 2022

Published 3/7/22

Controversy came at a Cheshire Board of Education meeting on Thursday, February 17th, the first meeting following Dr. Solan’s announcement that the mask mandate would be lifted on March 1st. The meeting was open to the public and parents, students, and community members alike attended in order to show their disdain for the district’s policies on masks, what is viewed as “bias” in the media being shown to students, and other issues. One child read about her experiences as an elementary schooler having to wear a mask, and not knowing what her classmates’ faces looked like. Multiple parents expressed concern about the mental health effects of masking schools.

One parent brought up his daughter’s experiences with LGBTQ+ representation, and the discomfort she felt when seeing books depicting “two boys kissing” or two girls “hanging out.” There was also discussion about the viewing of CNN 10, a weekly student-oriented news broadcast often shown to students at Dodd Middle School. Parents and community members claimed that students should be exposed to a variety of news outlets, and not just that provided by CNN.

Throughout these statements made by community members, the Board of Education remained calm and open to these criticisms of their leadership. But a shift in tone came when one man, dressed in a black hoodie, approached the podium and began ranting about the metrics for masking policy proposed by Dr. Solan. After expressing confusion over the metrics for mask-optional policy put in place by the district in conjunction with public health experts, the man began to raise his voice. He referred to Cheshire Public Schools as a “reich,” “regime,” and even compared the administration to the “SS,” the Nazi paramilitary group responsible for detaining Jewish people and other groups under the Nazi regime, as well as the operation of concentration camps during the Holocaust. According to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum, the SS was responsible for the deaths of millions of people including Jews, gay people, political opponents, and Roma. The man used expletives and criticized Dr. Solan for appearing on CNN. Board of Education Chairman Anthony Perugini calmly responded to the man, who continued to raise his voice and asked him numerous times to leave the room. After he refused, Mr. Perugini adjourned the meeting, and the Board later returned without a public audience.

This episode comes as part of a national focus on local school boards by many parents, particularly those on the conservative side of the political spectrum. Many attribute this rise in anger and frustration among community members to masking, and curriculum surrounding social justice that some view as “offensive.” One man present at the meeting referred to new curriculum as “systemic progressive curriculum,” saying that it needs to be “stopped and reversed.” The same man also claimed that there was a lack of “proper civics” being taught in Cheshire Public Schools, despite the fact that all Cheshire High School students are required to take either Civics or AP Government and Politics, both of which spend time discussing the United States Constitution and the rights outlined within it.

This is also not the first time that Cheshire has appeared in statewide news for this type of situation. During a roundtable discussion on the reopening of schools at Highland Elementary School, attended by Governor Ned Lamont and State Representative Liz Linehan, a group of parents began yelling at the Governor, and one reportedly followed the Governor back to the Governor’s Mansion in Hartford. There is certainly anger within Cheshire and so many communities surrounding masks and public school curriculum, but despite these stark divides, local leaders from across the political spectrum have urged civility and calm.