Hudson - Litchfield News 4 - December 10, 2010


The Word Around Town... Letters to our Editor


CHS Tree Lighting Event


The Campbell High School Student Council is excited to present our 10th Annual Tree Lighting Event to be held on Thursday, December 23, at 9 a.m. in the auditorium at Campbell High School. The purpose of this event is for our community to honor or remember special individuals who have been a positive influence in our lives. Individual white lights will be offered at $5 per person to represent those friends and relatives we wish to honor. Your donations will be used toward a scholarship fund for the graduating Class of 2011 and future graduating classes from Campbell High School. Previous recipients of this scholarship were Marissa Boutselis, Shauna Kuhlman, Emily Blackadar, Michael Boutselis, Brian Iwanicki, Colleen Kennedy, Mike Clark, and Aubrianne LaDuke. Donations will also be used to assist families and individuals in the Litchfield community. The evergreen tree for this event has been donated from a local resident and we have planted the tree in the front entrance of Campbell High School. This tree will be lighted during the holiday season so that we can honor or remember special individuals who have been a positive influence in our lives. The name of each relative or friend will be placed in our program and be read at the Tree Lighting ceremony. The Campbell High School Chorus and Band will perform seasonal songs. Please take a moment to remember or honor an


individual who has made a difference in your life. Your donations will help us to light our tree at the Thursday, December 23 celebration. The last date to place a light on the tree will be on Friday, December 17. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact Shawn P. McDonough, Campbell High School Student Council Advisor, at 546-0300, ext. 2222 or smcdonough@litchfieldsd.org. We hope you will join us on December 23 in remembering those who have touched our lives.


Campbell High School Student Council - Litchfield


Challenges of Living in Hudson


In 2004, I was stricken with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy and kidney malfunction. My mobility is difficult, with a cane, rollator, back brace, and leg prosthesis required. My back yard is steep. In 2005, I purchased a


coverall portable car cover. I was assured by the town of Hudson that I did not need a permit. This protects me from inclement weather and is close to my residence. I needed a power wheelchair due to weakness in my legs and upper body. The coverall protects me from weather while loading my wheelchair. I purchased the coverall on August 3, 2005, and erected it. On November 16, someone noticed it. On December 4, I was requested to pick up a registered large envelope at the Post Office. I was in violation with town ordinance. I had 10 days to respond or legal actions would be taken. This kind of accusation and threats are stressful and adverse to my health. It has been five years since I erected the coverall in my front lawn. There is no other place to put it. With exercise and lots of therapy, I can walk some. The end stage of peripheral neuropathy is ravaging my nerves and muscles all over my body. I am going to need a power wheelchair sooner than I want. I can’t help thinking to what happened with the fence drama earlier. I called Selectmen Jasper and Coutu to express my sorrow in the way it was executed. They did return


my call and were helpful. I was not made aware of the location restrictions at the time of purchase. I have been a resident for 30 years and have had no issues with abiding the laws in town. I wish someone would approach me with compassionate talk about the issues or even a phone call. Now, I find myself no fault of my own. To ask for variance with no guarantee of acceptance or tear it down. The winter is here; it will be cold. I cannot afford to ignore the legal threats. Is this the season to be merry or someone demonstrating their power of office at City Hall? Citizens of Hudson, let’s require fairness and respect, not fear and legal actions with first contact on issues. Remember, this coverall has been there five years. The people in town will forget before election. Don’t forget to vote. I am only one man hoping to change this attitude. I can’t do it by myself. Rise and demand compassion and respect. Don’t fight City Hall – who says. Budgeting more carefully is a must. All the $6.32 registered letters would have cost 44 cents or a phone call more personal. The terror tactics should not be accepted in the town of Hudson or anywhere for a fact. The people of Hudson will stand up and fight back. Stand with me. Community Development, be advised. This is New Hampshire – Live Free or Die.


R. Lemieux - Hudson Current School Absence Policy


The current absence policy in the Hudson schools is a new force in our lives. Most every student that leaves a school in Hudson for any period of time (even when dismissed by school health staff) are looking for doctor’s ‘notes.’ Bothadministrative staff and one School Board member have told me that getting ‘notes’ was not the intent of the policy. The same people indicated that others; e.g., school administration and health staff, are the ones requiring ‘notes’ when they are not needed. One administrator reported that absences with the new policy are down substantially since last year (forgetting that we were in the midst of a swine flu epidemic and the school administration quite appropriately encouraged children who were ill to stay home). Clearly, there is confusion about the requirement, appropriateness, and function of the ‘notes,’ and also how to measure whether the ‘notes’ will help with absenteeism.


As a pediatrician in Hudson, I see a number of the


school children here. Some parents have brought the children in for appointments more for the ‘note’ than for the illness. Others have called just to ask for a ‘note’ realizing that a visit was certainly of little benefit. Therefore, I have a few questions regarding why ‘notes’ have become the thing du jour: 1. How does a doctor’s note eliminate truancy?


The parent and school are at the core of the issue. Infrequently, a prolonged illness contributes to excessive absences, but a bunch of ‘notes’ for missing classes for any number of reasons over the year seem limited in preventing inappropriate absences. Also, the current content of the ‘notes’ need to be limited; therefore, not useful in detecting a delinquent. (Please remember that any information by a medical office about a child released to the school is not protected by the same requirements as medical offices, as the school personnel are not held to HIPAA standards.) 2. For a self-limited, common illness, should the need for the ‘note’ be enough to take the time and expense of having the child seen? Some offices require a visit for a ‘note’—an unneeded


expense for some families with limited resources. 3. The school administration previously asked us to keep tabs on from where the inappropriate requests came. A noteworthy question is should the school personnel demanding a ‘note’ be obliged to provide a ‘note’ requesting a doctor’s ‘note’? Then, we’ll know from where the requests are coming. 4. I admit, I am confused; what is the current student absence policy in Hudson? From the comments by those in the know, it seems that the ‘others’ in the school system are the ones not complying with the new requirements to avoid an accusation of truancy. But they have not been clear on how the policy should be implemented to decrease the burden to parents of getting a doctor’s ‘note’ for any and all absences. 5. Finally, when did a doctor (or a Physician’s Assistant or Nurse Practitioner) become a surrogate for a parent on school attendance issues? Increasingly, I wonder why.


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In a time when the economy has obviously taken its toll on everyone, from the humblest of individuals to the largest of corporations, it is so incredible to be able to witness and participate in what can simply be characterized as “Caring for thy Neighbor.” Two months ago, I asked the Hudson~Litchfield News to post a letter I had written on behalf of the Hudson Fish & Game Club and the Knox family requesting donations, both monetary and food, so that we could prepare and furnish our 22nd Annual Thanksgiving Meal for those within the Southern New Hampshire/Northern Massachusetts area that simply need a little assistance so they too can enjoy a “home-cooked” Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. Well, I must tell you that the community once again answered the call for help and we were able to provide dinner to nearly 1,300 people this year, with 1,150 delivered and approximately 150 coming in to eat in our dining room by the warmth of our huge fireplace and surrounded by


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the love and companionship of others. Hundreds of volunteers, club members, community families, organizations like the Girl Scouts, and our own National Champion Hudson Fish & Game Club Junior Rifle Team came down to help, both Wednesday from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. and back at it again on Thanksgiving Day at 4 a.m. until the last meals were delivered and the last guests completed their dinners with us. Thank you, all! There are so many folks to thank that it would take an entire page in this paper, so I am going to summarize. The Hudson Fish & Game Club holds numerous different annual public events to help raise funds for our Thanksgiving mission; however, it simply would not be possible to provide for so many without the monetary donations that we received, you all know who you are, by the warmth in your hearts and to you we are all extremely thankful. I also wanted to point out a few local businesses that donate food year after year; without them, we would need to raise even more money to cover the expenses. Mile High Pie Company, Merrimack – 100 Pies, T-Bones Restaurant of Hudson – 600 pounds of potatoes, Country Kitchen Bakeries of Hudson – 1,600 dinner rolls, and Carvel Ice Cream Co – 100 ice cream cakes. Thank you, all. Also to the many individuals and companies that donated the 80 turkeys in addition to the 80 we purchased from Market Basket of Hudson, thank you, all! In addition to spreading holiday cheer over Thanksgiving, the Hudson Fish & Game Club will also be making a $2,000 charitable donation to the U.S. Marine Corps. Toys for Tots foundation at their Londonderry division in memory of the man that started our annual Thanksgiving mission 22 years ago, U.S. Marine Gilbert Knox. So until next year, from all of us at the Hudson Fish & Game Club, may God bless you all for opening your hearts in such tight times for your neighbors. We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Joyous, Safe, and Happy New Year.


John E. Weldon, Hudson Fish & Game Club - Hudson


CHS Alcohol and Drug Policy Needs Revisiting


This letter is to state in my own words, rather than a reporter’s, the reasons I came forward to address the School Board on revisiting the alcohol and drug policy at Campbell High School (CHS). I spoke during community input and took the position that I would not specifically reference any student by name. A reporter from a daily newspaper was present—unknown to me.


As it stands, the policy is lenient. I do not continued to page 5 GENERATORS INSTALLED


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