Thanksgiving school policy hit ‘guilt nerve,’ Scott says

By Guy Page

His administration’s plan to quiz students on where they spent Thanksgiving struck a “guilt nerve” and a “resistance nerve” as shown by vehement community pushback, Gov. Phil Scott said at his press conference Friday.

Social media and the phone lines to his office have been laden with criticism since the plan was announced Tuesday. He and a WCAX reporter said some school districts are refusing to comply.

The governor defended the policy by explaining parents are now used to being asked questions about travel; parents would be asked first online, and their children would be asked only if parents didn’t respond; parents concerned about either them or their children responding could just keep students home for a week, then have them tested for Covid-19.

The governor also said he is encouraged that Vermonters willing to observe Thanksgiving within a single household exceed the national average. He also said he’s aware some school districts have refused to ask children how they spent Thanksgiving.

The uproar began after Scott on Tuesday announced at his twice-weekly press conference these two measures:

  • The Monday after Thanksgiving, Vermont school staff under direction from the Agency of Education will be ask returning students and parents if they traveled to other households for Thanksgiving dinner. If they answer yes, the students will be required to attend school via remote learning for at least seven days.
  • Gov. Scott said businesses will be urged to ask employees the same question. Again, if the answer is yes, they will be asked to quarantine.

At last week’s press conference, Calvin Cutler of WCAX asked if it’s realistic to expect that enough people will tell the truth. “I’m just hopeful they will, for the good of everyone,” Scott said. “In the anticipation of that question, maybe you [listening Vermonters] ought to cancel some of the plans you have made.”

Doesn’t that put kids in the position of tattling on their parents, Wilson Ring of the Associated Press asked. Scott stood firm: “This is fair warning. If you’re planning on having gatherings outside your households, if you don’t want to have your kids in remote learning and quarantine for a seven day period, maybe you should make other plans. I’m not sure it’s ‘tattling’ on anyone.”

Levine: “No talk of mandatory vaccine”

With release of a Covid-19 vaccine expected within two weeks, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said “there’s no talk of mandatory vaccination” in national advisory councils overseeing vaccination release.

At an August press conference, Levine said opinion of mandatory vaccination would depend in part on whether the vaccine would be both safe and effective. Now, vaccines appear “so far” to promise both: a rate of effectiveness of as high as 95%, and minimal side effects, limited to one-day low-grade fevers and discomfort at the injection site, he said at today’s press conference.

The initial release in December will bring about 25,000 doses to Vermont, to be distributed among high-priority recipients, including senior care facilities and health care providers.

Serious discussion of mandatory vaccination are more likely to occur next year, if vaccines have been given to willing participants but the total number of immune Vermonters  still hasn’t risen to the 70% required for “herd immunity” to take effect, In Vermont, relatively low numbers of herd immunity would need to be compensated with higher rates of vaccination, Levine said.

According to a recent survey, 50-60% of health care workers would voluntarily receive vaccination, Levine revealed. Acknowledging that figure is below 70%, “I think it will grow” as people become more trusting of specific vaccines, he said.

A Nov. 17 Gallup poll claims 58% of Americans would be willing to get the vaccine, with highest numbers among seniors and Democrats. A previous poll set the number at 50%.

Read more of Guy Page’s reports. Vermont Daily is sponsored by True North Media.

Image courtesy of The White House/Public domain

22 thoughts on “Thanksgiving school policy hit ‘guilt nerve,’ Scott says

  1. Scott did a good job? Who are you kidding?? Scott AKA Hitler and his legislators Gestapo can kiss my a– The last time I looked I am a FREE American. The Government doesn’t pay my bills, taxes or mortgage. I do and we also pay their paychecks and their freebies… Their jobs are not to run our lives. tell us what to do and if we don’t we will be fined or something else. I voted for Scott ONCE and never again. He has an R after his name it doesn’t stand for Republican it stands for RINO but he should put a D/P for democRAT. puppet. He’s a liar and dictator that’s what democrats do LIE and STEAL
    Good thing I don’t have kids in school anymore. The schools have no right to question students without consent. of the parents and if the students are under 18 the parents have to be present. during questioning.. Teachers are hired to take history, math, reading spelling. They weren’t hired to question how many people come to your house for the holidays or if you went to someone else’s house. Scotty boy is overreaching his job. . Have you notice how he brags about calling other Govs to find out how they are dictating. He calls Cuomo a lot. Like NYC is a good example right.!!!

  2. Scott said in the title “guilt nerve” being his way of covering up reality and to justify his position of totalitarianism. Really Gov, the meaning is that people are fed up with your dictatorship. People aren’t “guilty”, people are concerned about your over reaching “guidance” and have a strong basic feeling for being free.

    Get a life, resign, you’re incapable being in government. Brattleboro has a huge complex called “the retreat”, they should have a bed for you. Each year your rhetoric gets worse, failing mental health?

  3. Like many other states, Vermont has been relaxing voting standards for some time now, seemingly without impetus for doing so, at least in the eyes of the layman. But that started before COVID hit. True, COVID is a serious virus, but is it serious enough to be elevated to the status of a pandemic, or was there another purpose going into a national election?

    What better opportunity in the face of a perceived crisis where unordinary circumstance may present an opportunity to manipulate, confuse and confound our authority to self-govern. But do our elected officials ever consider the possibility this virus was labeled a pandemic to work in harmony with relaxed election integrity? Not likely, if allowing mass mailings at this critical time for our country is any indication for concern.

    In deed, Phil Scott is more concerned about portraying himself as a never Trumper and portraying Vermonters as incapable of making their own decisions, than he is for upholding his oath to preserve the constitution.
    He is negligent in his duties while at the same time facilitating agendas contrary the best interests of our sovereignty!

    There was no pushback from Governor Scott on mail in ballots, in fact he continues to promote this idea of weakening our election integrity at a time when it is more important than ever to preserve our Liberty, as we are distracted by crisis.

    Phil has demonstrated more zeal and enthusiasm for facilitating his own career through fearmongering, this is not the true trait of a leader, trust is a two way street!

    • He does not trust us to make the right choices or our own decisions, yet we are supposed to trust him, only a dictator would be so presumptuous!

  4. it’s not guilt dimwit, it’s the Gestapo nature of where this country is. It is so much why I gave up the pride I used to have as a Vermonter and moved

  5. What’s wrong with asking the truth. Remember We are all in this COVID together. Good job Phil standing your ground. Vermont school officials (Mostly unionized) think they are our government they are not. They have been more self serving than serving us and our student children

  6. Vermont’s Governor Phil ” Gestapo ” Scott, let turn the children on their family,
    how low would this fool go, it’s bad enough the schools already indoctrinate our
    children, now they want them to squeal on their relatives, ………fantastic plan !!

    He’s just another political disappointment for State. Vermont, look at our leadership,
    ” Babbling” Pat, “Socialist” Sanders,” Follower” Welch, and now we have last but
    not least “Turncoat ” Scott.

    We deserve better.

  7. I feel ‘guilty’ that I didn’t ‘resist’ Scott in the election. I mean, really. The guy can’t be any more condescending?

  8. how do we get this information out to the VT public? https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/john-hopkins-university-academic-cdc-data-shows-covid-hasnt-increased-us-death-rate
    The linked study from Dr. Genevieve Briand from John Hopkins University has demonstrated that COVID-19 has resulted in no excess deaths, yet the university has censored the article online. In other words, using the CDC’s own data of deaths, it shows that there hasn’t been any uptick in overall deaths in the US since Covid. While all these covid deaths are reported, deaths from other causes have gone down. In other words, it’s a sham and we’re being lied to! Why are so many people so eager to give up their freedoms and not storming the gates of the castle?

    • Fear, propagated by the media and the Democratic party to push for mail in ballots. This election past is a mess, fraught with election fraud with some voter fraud thrown in and a big dose of political corruption. Johns Hopkins University exposing the truth about the death rate of Covid-19 would also expose the fraud and the purpose for it. The truth will come out eventually.

  9. I’d say that is a pretty weak response from the Gubna.
    This is getting national media attention and A LOT of it.. he has stepped into something that is a whole lot bigger than he seems to be understanding.

    I suppose we should thank him really.. this has triggered outrage all over the country and that is what we need to have to finally say “enough is enough” and move to taking back our own country- and our states.

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