Protests disrupt Lamont talk
Governor departs schools discussion amid shouting, profanity
A roundtable back-to-school discussion in Cheshire hosted by Gov. Ned Lamont abruptly ended Wednesday afternoon when it was disrupted by anti-mask and anti-vaccine protesters who loudly and profanely accused the governor and state officials of criminal behavior.
The event was cut short when Lamont departed the session, which was held in the auditorium of the Highland School and attended by top educators and health officials, after a few dozen protesters began shouting about Lamont’s policy to continue requiring students and staff to wear masks inside school buildings through Sept. 30 and COVID19 vaccine requirements for state workers.
As state health department commissioner Deidre Gifford began discussing student health and safety protocols, one protester yelled: “Can we put them in little cages too?”
“When did we start living in Nazi Germany, Ned?” the man said, while others complained that they could not hear the public officials clearly because they were wearing masks. They soon began calling the officials criminals.
Cheshire Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Solan, who was moderating the event, said: “This is a reflection of how we can’t have a civil dialogue.”
The protest group, some holding young children and others carrying “UNMASK OUR KIDS” signs, followed Lamont to his vehicle shouting profanities.
The discussion was not the first public meeting in Connecticut derailed by parents who oppose the state’s mask requirement and vaccine policies. In Connecticut, the Bristol and Region 17 school boards had to shut down recent meetings due to disruptions from local anti-mask protesters, and similar incidents are taking place nationwide.
But Wednesday’s meeting stands out because of how physically close hostile residents were able to get to the governor. Unmask Our Kids CT — the state’s main group for families who oppose school mask mandates — has held numerous rallies and protests outside the Governor’s Residence in West Hartford and the state Capitol in Hartford. However, face-to-face confrontation between Lamont and protesters is rarely witnessed.
“The point of the round table was to discuss what we know works in schools. Despite the efforts of those who deny the science, it is clear to the scientific and academic community that
masks work and will keep our children safe,’’ said Max Reiss, a spokesman for Lamont. “Bullying and these kinds of tactics won’t work when it comes to mitigating COVID-19.”
Following Lamont’s departure, the protesters shouted at state Rep. Liz Linehan, D-cheshire, before dispersing to their cars. Other state officials remained indoors until the crowd left.
Shortly after the incident, Connecticut Democrats Chair Nancy Dinardo released a statement asking Connecticut Republicans Chair Ben Proto to “exercise his leadership and to denounce this disruptive
and hostile behavior.”
“The Connecticut Republicans like to say they are past the extremism of the Trump era. But mask protests like today’s in Cheshire are happening across the state,” said Dinardo. “Disagreeing on policy is part of our process. But this behavior, and similar protests at recent Board of Education meetings in Bristol and Fairfield, has no place in political discourse. Local officials are increasingly concerned for their safety.”
In response, Proto wrote that Dinardo lacked proof that the protesters are Republicans, and Democrats and Lamont “should be compassionate and understanding
toward parents who are doing what they believe is right for their child.”
“Parents from all political affiliation disapprove of Ned Lamont’s actions to wrest control of their children and their children’s education away from them,” he said. “Moreover, the Governor’s attempt to supplant parents and implement a statewide school mask mandate, while allowing towns to set their own policy related to masks, is just the first step in Connecticut Democrats plan to subsume municipal Boards of Education under the State Government and assume control of our local schools.”
Before the panel — which lasted about half-an-hour — was shut down, Lamont told the Cheshire schools superintendent he was “here to listen.”
“I see what’s going on in Georgia, I see what’s going on in Florida,” he said. “I see a lot of kids being sent home, quarantined … not having the chance to be in the classroom. I’m here to listen to how we can best keep our schools open.”
At least 15 states, including Connecticut, and the District of Columbia are enforcing statewide mask requirements inside schools, while at least eight governors in other states are trying to ban them, according to Education Week. Most states are leaving it up to local districts to issue their own mask rules.
Prior to Lamont confirming that students, staff and visitors must wear masks inside school buildings through Sept. 30, some school districts were already planning to institute such rules, given the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation updates in early August.
Citing new evidence on the spread of the highly infectious delta variant between people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC reversed its previous guidance, which stated that only unvaccinated individuals should be required to wear masks in schools. Since Aug. 4, the agency has recommended “universal indoor masking for all students, staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”
The state House of Representatives and Senate voted in mid-july, largely along party lines, to extend the governor’s emergency powers. They are expected to expire Sept. 30, along with the statewide school mask requirements, unless the legislature votes to extend them again.