Are we supposed to ignore months of public comment, letters to the editor, petition signers, etc. in favor of a sample size of the 30 people who spoke before the school board on Sept. 9th? And can we please note the misinformation that’s been in the pages of the opinion section regarding the middle school recently? First, rather than a “disgruntled minority of blue hairs,” the CoCoCi movement is a true cross-section of Concord residents. Young and old, wealthy and poor, East side and West side. Anyone who spent as much time as some of us have garnering petition signatures over the past few months knows that. Second, let’s note the hypocrisy of a board that bemoans “prolonging the agony of the children” while simultaneously consulting with lawyers to formulate ways of circumventing the amendment votes if they don’t go their way, which will themselves push back the start date of construction.

Third, as an educator of three decades, I can tell you that children are extremely resilient. COVID proved that. And there is a history in Concord of students continuing to learn and grow even amidst ongoing construction at their school. And finally, because it is the most disingenuous aspect of this issue, how is it “environmentally sound” to clear cut an area of mature forest the size of 17 football fields to create an “outdoor classroom” ostensibly to educate children about negative environmental impacts caused by the very actions the school board has approved?

Dan Williams

Concord