Participants
Everyone heard or named as present in the recording. Names follow the project’s 2015-2023 roster and the speaker attribution report for this recording, since no minutes survive; transcript renderings are noted where they differ.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Frank Sprague | Chair | Runs the meeting. Promises to ask the New Hampshire School Boards Association about public comment on motions (0:04:41); seconds the motion to table vaccination incentives (0:38:02); argues the county is “four times substantial” (0:58:58, 0:59:23); announces he will not support the amended matrix motion (1:03:37) and votes No. (1:16:29); raises Education Freedom Account enrollment (1:25:06, 1:25:53) and board printing costs (1:27:36). |
| Heather Whitney | Board member (vice chair per the project roster) | Seconds the agenda (0:02:34); amends the August 18 minutes (0:03:07); describes Lebanon’s pooled testing (0:22:36); moves the matrix amendment (0:49:25) and restates it before the vote (1:08:51 to 1:09:52); reports for the superintendent evaluation committee (1:18:15 to 1:21:20); asks about notifying parents of the Fish Tank program (1:33:52). The nominations motion is labeled for her (1:24:04). |
| Steven Horsky | Board member | Moves the agenda (0:02:30) and the August 18 minutes (0:02:56); questions surveillance testing as “outside of the school scope” (0:25:56); moves to table vaccination incentives (0:37:54) and to approve the Stevens program of studies with addenda (0:44:15); amends the matrix motion so parents need not mask at the minimal level (0:53:33); votes yes (1:16:02); asks about the middle school fence (1:36:48); moves to adjourn (1:39:42). |
| Joshua Lambert | Board member | Supports school discretion on visitors but not loosening masks (0:50:03, 0:50:24); asks where the line falls between a parent and a grandmother (0:54:21); “The kids don't complain about masks.” (0:58:15); votes No. (1:16:07); asks what changed after the vote (1:16:54, 1:17:48). |
| Rob Lovett Jr. | Board member | Objects to the amendment (0:53:59) and to the debate itself: “We're asking you to put on a mask for arguably a few minutes at a time” (0:56:52); answers the flu comparison (1:07:02); votes No. (1:16:12). |
| Michael Petrin | Board member | Present. Abstains on the August 18 minutes, having been absent (0:03:28); says testing is “I don't think it's outside our scope because parents will have to consent to this” (0:27:32); asks that visitors be allowed in limited numbers (1:08:10, 1:12:31); votes yes (1:16:17); suggests a direct-report survey for the superintendent’s evaluation (1:21:25). |
| Nicholas Stone | Board member | Seconds the August 18 minutes (per the chair, 0:03:03); argues the matrix is a recommendation, not a mandate (0:50:37); invites residents with other views to email him (1:06:24); votes yes (1:16:26); asks for follow-up on citizens’ comment and testing (1:37:02, 1:37:25). |
| Mary Woodman | School district clerk and recording secretary | Calls the roll (0:01:16 to 0:01:30) and the roll-call vote (1:15:56 to 1:16:36). |
| Michael Tempesta | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Superintendent’s report on county COVID-19 data and proposed matrix clarifications (0:05:28 to 0:16:44); recommends abandoning vaccination incentives (0:37:05, 0:37:37); summarizes the matrix after the vote (1:17:09); presents seven staff nominations (1:22:22 to 1:23:39). |
| Ronnie (surname not stated on this recording) | Lead nurse | Recommends dropping plexiglass and allowing three feet outdoors (0:14:49); explains the state-funded surveillance testing program (0:17:43 to 0:20:30): it “does require parental consent” (0:19:42); “Honestly right now, substantial, there should not be any visitors agreed.” (1:15:21). |
| Melissa Lewis | Principal, Disnard Elementary | Identifies herself (0:47:24); “If you're not a staff or student, you are a visitor to our school” (0:48:03); warns that school-by-school discretion would put principals in “a very adversarial position with families” (1:12:09). |
| Patricia Barry | Principal, Stevens High School | Presents the transcript plan and the updated school profile (0:39:57 to 0:43:07); urges a single rule for visitors (1:01:26 to 1:03:14); reports “576 yesterday.” enrolled (1:27:33) and 134 credits recovered in summer school (1:39:13). Rows at 1:27:33 and 1:39:07 onward are attributed to her by content. |
| Jeff Small | Director of Technology | Answers questions on board Chromebooks and Wi-Fi access (1:27:53 to 1:31:56). |
| Dr. Mary Ellen Janeiro | Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6 | Addressed by Barry (0:42:42); no attributed rows. |
| Michael Demers | Citizens' comments, Ward 3 | Gives his name and ward as “Michael. Ward three.” (0:03:55); asks why the board does not take public comment on motions as the City Council does (0:04:13) and suggests time limits of “3 or 5 minutes” (0:04:56). The surname comes from his self-introduction at the September 15 meeting. |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda survives. The chair refers to “an agenda in front of us tonight” (0:01:35) and to lettered items (C and D moved ahead of A and B, 0:02:20); this order follows the recording.
Items in the order taken up, with motions and votes as heard on the recording.
| Taken up | Item | What happened |
|---|
| 0:00:39 | Pledge and roll call | Roll (0:01:16 to 0:01:30): Whitney, Horsky, Lambert, Lovett (rendered “beloved junior”), Petrin (rendered “Michael. Peter.”), Stone and Sprague. All seven present. |
| 0:01:35 | Agenda, amended | The transcript presentation and the vaccination and testing item moved to the front (0:01:50 to 0:02:20). Horsky moves “Approve the agenda as amended.” (0:02:30); Whitney seconds (0:02:34); voice vote (0:02:36). |
| 0:02:42 | Minutes of August 18, 2021 | Horsky moves (0:02:56); the chair: “Nick seconded it.” (0:03:03). Whitney adds “that the vote empowered Mike to act on the matrix” (0:03:07). Voice vote; Petrin abstains, having been absent (0:03:28). See Flag 2. |
| 0:03:43 | Citizens' comments | Michael Demers, Ward 3, on public comment during motions (0:03:55 to 0:05:15). The chair: “Thank you. I'll look into it.” (0:05:15). |
| 0:05:28 | Superintendent's report | County data, matrix clarifications, and the state surveillance-testing program presented with the lead nurse (0:05:28 to 0:36:25). The board gives the administration leave to investigate testing without a motion (0:34:59 to 0:36:10). |
| 0:36:36 | Vaccination incentives | The superintendent recommends dropping incentives (0:37:05). Horsky moves “to accept that recommendation and that we would table the incentives for vaccination of the public, staff and student” (0:37:54); the chair seconds (0:38:02); voice vote (0:38:07). |
| 0:38:16 | High school transcript update; program of studies | Barry presents (0:39:57 to 0:44:09). Horsky moves “to approve the Stephen's High School Program of Studies Handbook with these addendum” (0:44:15); an unidentified voice seconds “for a discussion” (0:44:39); voice vote (0:44:44, 0:44:45). |
| 0:44:54 | Reopening plan | Whitney moves the matrix amendment (0:49:25); an unidentified voice seconds (0:49:52). Horsky’s amendment on parents at minimal (0:53:33) is seconded by an unidentified voice (0:53:44) and accepted by voice, Lovett objecting (0:53:59). Roll call on the motion as amended (1:15:56 to 1:16:29): Whitney, Horsky, Petrin, Stone yes; Lambert, Lovett, Sprague no. The clerk’s summary is garbled (1:16:36); passed 4-3 on the answers heard. See Flags 2 and 5. |
| 1:18:12 | Superintendent evaluation | Whitney reports the committee’s framework (1:18:15 to 1:21:20). No vote. |
| 1:22:16 | Staffing nominations | Seven nominations (1:22:22). Motion “to accept the nominations for Mike Tempesta”, labeled for Whitney (1:24:04); the chair: “Nick seconds.” (1:24:12). Voice vote (1:25:06). |
| 1:25:06 | Other business; next meeting | Education Freedom Accounts (1:25:06); the board agrees by consensus to use its own devices and keep a printed agenda, “So effective immediately.” (1:31:51); a meeting set for September 15 (1:33:10, 1:33:44); Fish Tank notification (1:33:52); the middle school fence (1:36:48). |
| 1:39:42 | Adjournment | Horsky moves (1:39:42); the chair: “Second by Nick.” (1:39:46); voice vote. |
Discussion timeline
Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/11862 SchoolBoard090121.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording.
Main topics in recording order, with the most concrete statements first.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:04:13 | Citizens' comment: public input on motions | “In city council, when we have motions that are being made and are being on the table, we open that up for public comment.” The chair: “I'm not sure if it's a policy, Mike.” (0:04:41). No New Hampshire statute required a public comment period at school board meetings in 2021; RSA 189:74’s 30-minute rule took effect September 6, 2022. The board acted on the request on September 15 (September 15 page). | |
| 0:07:03 | Report: county data improving | “377 in Sullivan County”, new cases at 49 (0:07:03); the county “only at 129 as of this morning” (0:07:55); county vaccination “overall 60% one dose 54”, Claremont “about 47” (0:08:13, 0:08:38). The measures behind the figures are not read aloud. | |
| 0:11:12 | Report: proposed matrix clarifications | Masks “recommended in all indoor spaces only. Outdoor mass optional.” at minimal (0:11:49); a visitor defined as “a visitor to school during the school day” (0:13:02); athletics to follow NHIAA guidance if issued (0:13:44). The lead nurse adds: drop plexiglass, three feet outdoors (0:14:49). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:17:43 | Surveillance testing | A state-funded program; “no money would come out of our budget” (0:17:43); blanket parental consent (0:19:42); results usually within 24 hours (0:20:10). Horsky and Petrin question it (0:25:21 to 0:27:54); Petrin notes drive-through testing at CVS in Claremont has ended (0:32:41). The chair: “all we're doing here is simply listening and investigating” (0:34:59). | |
| 0:37:05 | Incentives tabled | The superintendent consulted nurses, staff, other superintendents, the county commissioner and the teachers’ union, and recommends to “abandon this or table this” (0:37:05), citing “the outlay for the equity and for the audits” (0:37:37). Approved by voice vote (0:38:07). This disposes of the $20,000 idea left pending on August 18 (August 18 page). | |
| 0:40:25 | Transcripts and school profile | “we've had 72% of two and four year schools students going off” to college, the highest in the principal’s tenure (0:40:25). Transcripts will show both grading systems, as in the last transition (0:41:03); the welcome-back night drew “About 200 masked people.” (0:42:42). | |
| 0:47:24 | Who counts as a visitor | Lewis: elementary families find school-by-school rules hard to accept (0:47:24, 0:47:47); “we have many people who thank us for not holding indoor events, and we have many people who are cursing at us right now” (0:48:28). | |
| 0:49:25 | Matrix motion and amendment | Whitney: masks at moderate “strongly recommending masks for students and teachers, and notifying families that that recommendation is in place instead of requiring them”, and visitors at substantial “to the discretion of the individual school leadership” (0:49:25). Horsky’s amendment: “Parents are not required to wear masks.” at minimal (0:53:33). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:56:52 | Debate | Lovett: “We're asking for the least amount possible, the bare minimum” (0:57:15). Stone: Claremont has about 20 cases (0:58:54); the chair: “That's substantial.”… “It's four times substantial.” (0:58:58). Barry: a parent-only exemption “turns us into police” (1:02:16). Horsky compares COVID-19 to the cold and flu (1:04:14); Lovett: “The correlation to the flu is a straw man argument.” (1:07:02). | |
| 1:15:56 | Roll call, 4-3 | Whitney Yes., Horsky Yes., Lambert No., Lovett No., Petrin Yes. Yes., Stone Yes., Sprague No. (1:15:57 to 1:16:29). The chair: “we're not coming back and revisiting this unless there's a major” (1:16:45). | POSITIVE |
| 1:17:09 | What passed? | The superintendent’s summary: three feet, no plexiglass, and “No change on on the visitors” (1:17:09). Lambert: “So it wasn't Heather's motion then.” (1:17:48). Petrin: “The major change was that moderate was masking would be strongly recommended.” (1:17:55). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:18:15 | Superintendent evaluation committee | Whitney: the committee (herself, Lambert and two Unity members) wants yearly evaluation, “which is something that was not occurring” (1:18:15); the superintendent to meet each board separately (1:18:55); “to have a non meeting” in September or October (1:19:58, 1:20:10). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:22:22 | Nominations | Seven replacement hires (1:22:22 to 1:23:13); “Nothing additional.” (1:24:45); the superintendent says the new hires save money on experience (1:24:50). Approved by voice vote (1:25:06). | MEDIUM |
| 1:25:06 | Education Freedom Accounts | The chair, citing a television report: the state budgeted “I think $62,000” and “about 1500 have expressed an interest in that. And, to the tune of about $7 million.” (1:25:53). These are the chair’s figures from a news report, not district data. | |
| 1:33:10 | Next meeting and a planned non-meeting | The board will meet September 15 (1:33:10, 1:33:44). Whitney: “We do a non meeting first and then have the school board meeting afterwards okay.” (1:33:28). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:33:52 | Fish Tank parent notice | Whitney asks about the decision to “notify parents that there was a substantial change in the curriculum” (1:33:52). The superintendent: “We lost that.” (1:34:17). Whitney’s concern is that it becomes “by default, the curriculum for social studies” (1:37:51). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:39:13 | Summer credit recovery | Barry: “134 credits were recovered” (1:39:25). | |
Items flagged for review
These flags are a reviewer’s aid, not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each one names the rule it rests on, as that rule read on September 1, 2021, or is labeled an observation where no verified rule applies.
MEDIUM No agenda, packet or minutes survive; several seconds and one mover cannot be identified from the recording
MAP.md records no Drive material for this meeting; neither district share holds a year folder older than 2022. RSA 91-A:2, II, in the text in force since January 1, 2019, requires minutes naming members and persons appearing, describing the subject matter and final decisions, and recording "The names of the members who made or seconded each motion" (statute text), open to inspection "not more than 5 business days after the meeting" (statute text). The MEDIUM limb applies: the board approved this meeting’s minutes on September 15 (September 15 page) and approved the August 18 minutes here (0:02:42 to 0:03:28), so minutes were kept; none survives in a public share. The recording cannot replace them: the seconds on the program of studies (0:44:39), the matrix motion (0:49:52) and Horsky’s amendment (0:53:44) come from unidentified voices; the nominations motion is labeled for Whitney, but it follows the chair’s “I contacted Steve.” (1:24:03), which may be a recognition of Horsky; and the clerk’s announcement of the roll-call result is garbled (1:16:36).
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2019 codification; source note ends 2018, 244:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019)
OBSERVATION Two matrix decisions, and the public record of neither is clear
First, the August 18 minutes were amended here to add “that the vote empowered Mike to act on the matrix” (0:03:07). The August 18 motion, as heard on that recording, adopted the matrix as amended that night and said nothing about delegation (August 18 page, Flag 3). Second, the 4-3 vote here (1:15:56 to 1:16:29) was on Whitney’s motion as she restated it: masks “strongly recommended at moderate level”, families notified, visitors at administrators’ discretion at substantial, parents unmasked at minimal, no plexiglass, and three feet outdoors at substantial (1:08:51 to 1:09:52). Immediately afterward the superintendent described the result as “No change on on the visitors” (1:17:09), Lambert asked “So it wasn't Heather's motion then.” (1:17:48), and Petrin answered that the major change was the moderate-level masking (1:17:55). The parents-at-minimal amendment is not mentioned in that exchange. With no minutes or posted matrix, a reader cannot tell which version the administration applied.
Sources: recording only; no rule cited.
OBSERVATION A "non meeting" was planned for the superintendent’s evaluation; RSA 91-A has no such category for a quorum
Whitney proposed “to have a non meeting” on the superintendent’s evaluation (1:19:58), at which the superintendent would review his strategic plan with each board (1:18:55), and later: “We do a non meeting first and then have the school board meeting afterwards okay.” (1:33:28). Under RSA 91-A:2, I, as in force in 2021, a meeting is the "convening of a quorum of the membership of a public body" to discuss or act on matters within its jurisdiction (statute text). Its exclusions cover collective-bargaining strategy, consultation with legal counsel, a party caucus and circulating draft documents; an evaluation discussion is not among them. If a quorum of the board gathers to discuss the superintendent’s performance, the law treats it as a meeting that must be noticed; private discussion would need a nonpublic session entered on a motion stating a paragraph II exemption and a roll-call vote (RSA 91-A:3, I(b)). The September 15 recording opens with the board already seated and shows nothing about a session beforehand (September 15 page), so this page cannot say whether the plan went ahead or in what form.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, I (2019 codification; meeting defined; four exclusions); RSA 91-A:3, I(b) (2019 codification; motion stating the exemption, roll call)
OBSERVATION A board decision to notify parents about the Fish Tank program had not been carried out
Whitney recalled that the board “had decided in that meeting that we were going to notify parents” of the program and give them a link to its content (1:33:52). The superintendent: “We lost that.” (1:34:17), with a promise to report “before the next meeting” (1:36:29). Whitney’s stated concern was that the program would become the elementary social studies curriculum “by default”… (1:37:51). The earlier decision is not in any surviving document, and this page does not identify the meeting at which it was taken. Two weeks later the board took a roll-call vote on a motion to remove the program (September 15 page).
Sources: recording only; no rule cited.
POSITIVE The contested matrix vote was taken by roll call, and the split is on the record
The chair asked for a roll-call vote (1:10:17, 1:15:41), and each member’s answer is audible: four yes, three no (1:15:57 to 1:16:29). The chair also announced his position before the vote (1:03:37). RSA 91-A:2 in its 2019 codification requires roll calls only when a member participates remotely (III(e)), and no member is heard participating remotely here, so a named 4-3 record on the most disputed question of the night goes beyond the statute.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, III(e) (2019 codification)
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast: Claremont School Board Meeting of 9/1/21 (show 11862; run time from the Cablecast API not retrieved, the API refuses requests from this environment)
- Google Drive: no packet folder, agenda, matrix or minutes. MAP.md: neither share holds a year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023 (checked 9/26/26). Not searched again for this page, per the run instructions for meetings with no Drive material.
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/11862 SchoolBoard090121.mp4.CSV (634 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/11862 SchoolBoard090121.mp4Input/Transcripts/11862 SchoolBoard090121.mp4.jsonInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 150Scripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/11862 SchoolBoard090121.mp4.md (speaker attribution report)
Laws and rules cited on this page
- RSA 91-A:2, I, II and III(e), 2019 codification (in force Jan. 1, 2019 to Oct. 2, 2023): meeting defined and its four exclusions; minutes content, movers and seconders, five-business-day inspection; roll-call votes with remote participation
- RSA 91-A:3, I(b), 2019 codification: motion to enter nonpublic session states the exemption; roll-call vote
- RSA 189:74 (public comment period of at least 30 minutes): 2022, 333:1, eff. Sept. 6, 2022; mentioned as later law only, not applied to this meeting