Battling the Davis County School Board

It might be helpful and encouraging to some in these frightful times to share my ongoing battle with the Davis County School Board that in response to complaints from a group of parents, has changed our modified schedule limiting attendance to manageable, social-distancing limits, to full overload of our classrooms beginning Monday:

jrobison@dsdmail.net,
emumford@dsdmail.net,
jutanner@dsdmail.net,
bgerrard@dsdmail.net,
geckersley@dsdmail.net,
mstevenson@dsdmail.net,
cphipps@dsdmail.net,
rnewey@dsdmail.net,
boardmtg@dsdmail.net

August 5, 2020

Dear School Board Members,

Please count me as one in support of the modified schedule to limit contact during this pandemic crisis. It is based on scientific recommendations and careful consideration. It will help reduce risk of the virus spreading. 

My wife and daughter teach in Davis schools. I have several grandchildren attending school. My wife and I are old enough to be concerned about our risk category.

Public education is not about immediate parental convenience but what is good for the community in educating a new generation of participants in our society. The District should be promoting good citizenship and civic responsibility. This occurred in my elementary education in the early 60s when they lined us up at school for public health vaccinations. We survived, literally.

Thank you for doing what is right for Davis County residents.

September 16, 2020

Dear School Board Members:

So, you caved in to a bunch of whiney, privileged parents! Now you will get blasted by all the reasonable parents and spouses of 60-year-old-plus teachers like me. Not to mention that you will be blasted by a Davis-County spike in Covid-19 as big as SL and Utah Counties (Washington can't be far behind with that protest mentality they have). Science constantly develops and refines itself but apparently not the School Board. You betrayed your last decision to try the modified, safer schedule at least for this first term. My wife is a Science teacher. What she teaches about the scientific method will be lost on her kids who see that politics and pressure have the upper hand. Be better! (oops, don't follow that political slogan either).

_________

Hi Grant, thank you for your email and for the work your wife does in the District.  Our quarantine numbers have been significantly lower than any other district and the school spread has been very minimal to not present.  That does not do anything with the number of infections we have had.  I understand your disappointment, I am disappointed as well.  It has become very difficult, with the challenges of the reduced schedule and what we have seen with how that affects kids, families and staff, that the Board, with our support felt the need to accelerate getting kids back in school sooner.  As I said I share in your disappointment from the standpoint of we have been able to reduce the numbers of quarantined staff and students, but with virtually no in school transmission, at this point, it became a harder position to land on and maintain in regard to the time children need in school.  We understand the increased risk and have worked hard within the current hybrid model to mitigate that risk.  We will continue to aggressively do all we can to minimize risk while increasing our students time in school.

 

Thanks, Reid 

Reid Newey, Superintendent

Davis School District

____________

Mr. Vaughn, 

Thank you for sharing your concerns.  I really value the work and the flexibility that’s been demonstrated by teachers during the health crisis. I particularly value your wife because she’s made a significant impact on my students with her science instruction and leader ship. The board has received lots of input over the course of the last week and is convening tomorrow evening to consider the timeline of the phased return in light of spiking in Covid cases this past week.

Thank you for expressing your position in the issue. 

Liz Mumford

Davis School District

Board of Education Member

[Board Member Mumford has been consistently in favor of better safety and support for our teachers. The vote, however, was to go to four days a week of full attendance in already over-crowded classrooms. For a reference on crowding in Davis Schools, see:https://www.standard.net/news/education/physical-distancing-difficult-to-achieve-in-many-classrooms/article_b1e647bc-c0f9-59fe-baec-8dbf18751427.html]

October 2, 2020

Me:
I will hold you all responsible legally, politically, and morally if my wife gets sick from your decision to overcrowd the schools. 

Do not reply to this email. I want no more of your irresponsible propaganda. I only send this to put you on notice.

P.S. This is not a threat of any violence. Just legal, political, and moral battle.

October 3, 2020

The moral battle begins:

I suppose some of you may be members of the dominant religion in Davis County, that is, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as I am. I just watched some General Conference today and was struck by the modeling of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency wearing masks and social-distancing. (photo below). I would like to know why you do not care to protect my wife who is over 60 and other teachers in this manner when you overload the schools next week. The Science is still developing and I know that children, for the most part, do not develop serious symptoms. It's much more likely that older teachers will if there are a lot of kids coming into over-crowded classrooms with various levels of viral loads. The teacher could be collecting them all. Also, with the current debacle of White House activities apparently becoming "super-spreaders" seriously infecting the president and others, it would behoove you to be a bit more cautious when lives are at stake.

You could encourage my wife to retire which she could at any time. We do not need her job for our family support. There are some older teachers that do need the job. My wife is the kind who will stay sacrificing her time and even health because she is dedicated to the work and the children of Davis County. But she is closer than she has ever been to just walking away. The older teachers are generally your best and most experienced. You are not demonstrating care for our teachers, children, and families of Davis County. You are risking lives and I will hold you responsible legally, politically, and morally.

Do not reply to this message. I do not want to hear your propaganda. If you do reply to try to win me over to this dangerous situation, I will respond with intemperate language as to how I really feel. (I know some of the LDS speakers today said to be nice, but I don't see how that applies when my wife's safety is at stake because of your bad decisions).

Thank you,

Grant L. Vaughn

Centerville, Utah