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Gun control: Scott delivers action plan By Lou Varricchio EAGLE EDITOR
MIDDLEBURY | Vermont Gov. Phil Scott delivered a memo to the Vermont Legislature last week outlining actions he’d like to work with the legislature on to maintain the safety of local schools. On Feb. 15, Scott said, “Quite honestly, in the aftermath of Florida, this situation in Fair Haven has jolted me. Especially after reading the affidavit and realizing that only by the grace of God, and the courage of a young woman who spoke up, did we avert a horrific outcome. I’ve been asking myself whether we are doing everything we can to protect our kids?” According to Scott’s communications aide Rebecca Kelley, following delivery of the memo Feb. 22, he made the following statement to a group of reporters gathered outside the House chamber: “Vermont is currently the healthiest and safest state in America. We also have some of the best – and safest – schools in the country. Yet, as recent events have made clear, Vermont is not immune to the risk of extreme violence in our schools or communities. As I said last week, the details of a near tragedy here in Vermont have
Gov. Phil Scott delivered a memo outlining immediate and longer-term actions to maintain the safest, healthiest and strongest communities and schools. Pictured: Scott at a 2017 news conference. Photo provided shaken me. And I – along with many others – are reexamining what we can do to keep our kids and communities safer. I shared a memo with legislative leaders outlining an action plan to answer that very question. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that no single solution or combination of actions will eliminate 100 percent of the risk. But I remain fully committed to working with the legislature, and community stakeholders, to
REMEMBERING DR. BRAD FULLER
ADDISON | Bradbury Fuller, 61, of Addison, died on Feb. 16, 2018. On the afternoon of Feb. 8, finishing work early and finding himself with a rare window of daylight, Brad persuaded his wife, Dr. Eileen Fuller, to meet him for a few runs at his favorite mountain, Mad River Glen. After enjoying an Dr. Brad Fuller File photo hour of fresh powder and catching the last chair, Brad headed for home a very happy man. Tragically, Fuller suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm en route and was taken to UVM Medical Center where he died peacefully eight days later surrounded by his loving family. Dr. Fuller’s last conscious day was an example of how he lived his life to the fullest. He had an immense appreciation for the outdoors, reveling in the company of those who shared his passions and enthusiastically encouraging others to join him. Brad had a wonderful sense of humor and particularly delighted in puns. He was a devoted Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan. » Dr. Fuller Cont. on pg. 3
reduce the risk of violence in our communities, while preserving our Constitutional rights as Vermonters and Americans. “The action plan I’ve proposed covers what we can do immediately to keep our kids safe, as well as longer-term strategies. It includes both legislative and administrative actions. And, it focuses in three core areas: “First, strengthening school security;
“Second, keeping guns out of the hands of the people who should not have them; and “Finally, promoting safe and healthy communities. I’ve directed the Vermont State Police, in coordination with our school security liaison officer, to conduct security assessments of all schools over the next several weeks. Additionally, I’ve proposed school safety grants – requesting we make $5 million available for security grants that can be quickly deployed. And, I’d encourage the legislature to consider a shield law to protect the identity of those brave individuals who speak up. Next, we can take immediate action on gun safety. Specifically, I’ve asked the legislature to pass S.221 and send it to me before Town Meeting break and make it effective upon passage. “I’ve also asked the legislature to continue their work to pass: H.422, which would reduce the connection between guns and domestic violence; H. 675, which would clarify a judges’ discretion to require high-risk individuals to turn over all guns and dangerous weapons; and H. 876 to solidify the Federal Ban on Bump Stocks.” Scott added that he wants to restore the foundation of Vermont’s mental health system, as well as expand the services of the state’s Adverse Childhood Experiences program. ■
Are Vermont students ready for the next grade? A look at Vermont test scores By Lou Varricchio EAGLE EDITOR
MIDDLEBURY | Two critics of how the State of Vermont reports its 2017 results of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium student tests cite murky terminology, and difficult state-to-state comparisons, when it comes to explaining the data to parents and other shareholders. John McClaughry of Vermont’s Ethan Allen Institute think tank, and instructional-materials author Jim Callahan—who owns Callahan Associates, his Middlebury-based education consulting and mathematics tutoring firm—claim that the Vermont Agency of Education is all too willing to emphasize that it’s too difficult to compare student proficiency levels of one state with another, for a number of so-called complicated reasons. “Vermont Digger has done us another service by publishing a (recent online) report entitled ‘Making the Grade?,” according to McClaughry. “It presents the results of the tests used by Vermont and 14 other states to determine public school student proficiency in English and math in third, eighth and 11th grades.” McClaughry said that while the Agency of Education, “goes to great pains to emphasize that it’s not possible to compare the student proficiency levels of one state with another...
Math expert and school consultant Jim Callahan of Middlebury: “When it comes to educational testing, words can be very tricky. You find terms such as ‘proficient’ and ‘proficient with distinction.’” He notes that ‘proficient’ sounds good to parents, but it’s deceptive; such a score meant the student passed only 40 percent of the test. Photo by Lou Varricchio » Vermont test scores Cont. on pg. 2
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