LETTER: Letting go of restraint and seclusion
I was invited to join the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition in April to discuss the impact of trauma associated with the use of restraint and seclusion, and I have since followed the process of policy review by the Harwood Unified Union School District.
Opinion: The American Dream 2022
Both parents wake up in the morning in a house on a piece of land they don’t own as it is considered government property with a taxable income.
LETTER: Ukraine fundraising dinner, auction a success
On Thursday, June 23, Stowe Street Cafe hosted a tender and heartfelt Ukrainian Community Dinner and Silent Art Auction as Part 2 of our fundraising efforts to help World Central Kitchen's work in Ukraine.
Juneteenth marks freedom for all
Did you know that July 4, 1776, only represents the day that white male Americans became free? We celebrate Juneteenth (a combination of the words "June" and "Nineteenth") to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day which slavery officially ended in our country and independence was granted to Black communities who waited an additional 89 years after the Declaration of Independence to become free.
Op-Ed: Why is it easier to build a Dollar General than a solar panel in Vermont?
Over the last decade or so while most of us weren’t looking, something very concerning has happened in Vermont: It has become easier to build commercial strip development like a Dollar General store in a rural town than to build renewable energy.
COMMENTARY: Guns are not the problem
Guns are NOT the problem. "Fear porn" and "false flag events" ARE. As it relates to another manufactured crisis, the exercising of one’s right to keep and bear arms is God-given. Period.
COMMENTARY: Increase legislative pay and benefits?
As a former legislator I understand and appreciate departing legislators’ complaints about pay and benefits. And, as a former legislator, I hope turnover based on complaints about legislative pay and benefits continues with every biennium.
COMMENTARY: We, the Cyberpatriots
Harwood Union High School junior Jeswin Antony of Waterbury represented Vermont at the American Legion’s National Oratorical Finals held in Indianapolis in April.
LETTER: State should ban seclusion, restraints for school students
“Vermont legislators, I am writing to advocate for children in Vermont with disabilities who are restrained and secluded in our schools at disproportionate rates compared to children without disabilities.”
COMMENTARY: On restraint and seclusion, ‘we can and must do better’
A prone restraint begins with a "takedown," where the staff forcibly takes a student down to the ground. The staff then turn a student onto their front and hold their arms and legs.
LETTER: Walk & Bike to School Day a success
On Wednesday, May 25, close to 200 students, parents, and community members participated in the Walk & Bike to School Day in Waterbury.
OPINION: Vermont’s top elected officials on the Uvalde, Texas, school murders
On Tuesday, May 24, the world absorbed the news from Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old murdered 19 students and two teachers and wounded many others at Robb Elementary School.
COMMENTARY: Child abuse is preventable, and gun violence is child abuse
It is difficult to comprehend that there is yet another mass murder of children in our country.
Vermont’s school librarians weigh in on gun violence
On behalf of the Vermont School Library Association, we have issued a statement on gun violence in the wake of the preventable tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Rep. Stevens: Historic steps taken as Legislature ends session on ‘normal’ note
The final weeks of the legislative session were busy with bills flying between the House and Senate but our work was recently completed with a “normal” end to a very abnormal biennium.
LETTER: Donate, don’t dump
Duxbury, Waterbury and surrounding towns have recently completed another successful Green Up Day held each year in Vermont on the first Saturday in May.
Rep. Wood: Legislative session sought transformational change
The 2022 legislative session has wrapped up after passing a $8.3 billion budget.
Two years of Waterbury Roundabout
Two years ago, the Waterbury Roundabout website launched to cover local news in our community.
OPINION: On public school, pandemic politics, and the poison of personal responsibility
Republican Gov. Phil Scott decided to veto the pension bill that includes school workers and other public employees on the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week, the day after May Day.
Words matter in our efforts to keep children safe
The news has taken notice that some are misusing a word that is important to protecting children from the risk of experiencing child sexual abuse. At Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, we want to help parents know how to protect children, so it is important that miscommunication be avoided.