Turtleboy Investigates

Leominster Education Association President Leah Burns Demands Schools Remain Closed “Until It’s Safe” While Sending Son To Catholic School Where They Get To Do Yoga And Not Wear Masks 

 

The Leominster Public Schools were the first district in Massachusetts to cancel in-person learning in July after 5 childless School Committee members voted to keep them closed, despite extremely low positivity rates for COVID. They reopened briefly in November, but then closed shortly afterwards at the demand of the union when case numbers began to spike.

The School Committee responded by allowing most students to return to some in-person classes by Nov. 9. However, when COVID-19 case numbers started spiking shortly after that, Superintendent of Schools Paula Deacon said the district would return to online-only learning through the month of December.

Last week Superintendent Paula Deacon also made headlines after posting pictures on Facebook of her and her husband in Tampa Bay to watch Tom Brady play.

Many criticized the hypocrisy of a superintendent who allows schools to be closed while getting on a plane to attend the non-essential activity of watching sportball.

The union has repeatedly butted heads with Mayor Dean Mazzarella, who has demanded that they reopen schools and declared it a public health emergency. The School Committee members walked out of that meeting before listening to concerns from dozens of parents who wanted schools to reopen.

In December the Leominster Education Association voted “no confidence” in Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley after the DESE sent school districts letters demanding to know why they were still closed. Union President Leah Burns wrote an email blasting the state for looking out for what was in the best interest of students and parents.

In addition, the petition states, the DESE and Riley “have failed to sufficiently consider input from individual districts,” “continue to ignore the ever-growing body of scientific evidence showing the direct correlation between in-person learning and the increased transmission rates of Covid-19 in a community,” and “do not demonstrate the depth of understanding nor the impartial judgement needed to support students, faculty, and families.”

“Since our working conditions are the students’ learning conditions, we as educators have a responsibility to ensure that our schools are safe,” Burns said, quoting the petition presented to the education board. “Commissioner Riley and the DESE need to listen more carefully and inclusively to health experts and educators from across the state.”

I agree with Leah – we should listen to the health experts. Dr. Fauci says schools should reopen, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have been saying since day one that schools should reopen.

Kids don’t die from COVID, they rarely get hospitalized if they contract the disease, they’re not spreaders of the virus (mostly adult to child or adult to adult), and the benefits of reopening far outweigh the dangers of not reopening. A controlled classroom environment where kids see the same kids every day is much safer than the current system where parents dump their kids off at learning pods and expose them to a different batch of kids every day. Every other western country in the world has had schools open with no problems, as have other states, and catholic schools in Massachusetts.

Additionally, internal emails from Leominster Public Schools Facility Director Anthony Sciabarrasi in August show that the trouble areas in the school that make it “unsafe” have all been fixed.

Nevertheless, the Leominster teacher’s union is still demanding that schools remain closed “until it’s safe.” AKA, it will never open because nothing is ever truly “safe,” including driving, eating, exercising, or interacting with other human beings during flu season. They posted this garbage on their Facebook page yesterday but have since removed it after I commented on it with what you are going to read about later in this blog.

Translation – we have zero intention of opening schools this year. We will continue to work from home and collect a full salary while forcing you to quit your job to babysit your kid who is suffering every day from “remote learning.”

Don’t worry though, as long as your kid makes the basketball team they’ll be able to interact with other kids. Leominster had a game this week and kicked butt!

They keep bringing up positivity rates, as if that matters. The positivity rates in July, August, and September were extremely low, but yet they didn’t want to return then either. But according to Leah Burns it would be “reckless” to open now despite no evidence or science to back up what she’s saying.

Funny though, because the catholic schools in the area have been open since day one, including St. Leo’s Preschool in Leominster. Guess whose kid goes there?

That’s Leah’s son in the Old Navy shirt. I was hesitant to use these pictures because they are children, but decided to for 3 reasons:

  1. St. Leo’s posted them on Facebook, and this is just a screenshot
  2. To show that daycares and schools everywhere allow kids in close quarters without masks on, and there have been no outbreaks.
  3. Because people like Leah Burns are not just hypocrites, but also pure evil. She’s not looking out for the best interest of kids in her district, so why should anyone do the same for her?

Catholic schools cost money to go to, so only those who can afford it can attend. People below the poverty line in Leominster depend on the public schools and need them more than anyone. They’re not open, but the schools where more affluent people can send their children are. This racist policy of school closure championed by the racist Leominster Teacher’s Union is leading to growth in the achievement gap between white and minority students, and the haves and have nots. They don’t care if children are depressed, not having their social and emotional needs met, and are failing at higher rates than ever. Their only concern has been avoiding COVID. They fear being around your children, and they are the ultimate cowards.

But Leah Burns doesn’t fear COVID. If she did she wouldn’t let her kid go to school at all, especially without a mask on. I won’t post all the pictures from St. Leo’s Facebook page on here because I don’t feel like blacking out all the faces (even though they didn’t), but there are thousands of images you can see on their page. Her son is seen in pictures since September.

My daughter does gym class jumping over a piece of paper in her bedroom, alone. She can’t make any friends that way and has no social interactions with anyone her age who she isn’t related to. She suffers because monsters like Leah Burns think they’re “unsafe” being around kids, while their own children get to do all the things my kids can’t. They even get to do yoga there!!

Meanwhile kids in high positivity rate areas like Marlborough are all back in school.

Nearby West Boylston is also in the red for positivity rate, but they’re being careful and reopening schools anyway because education is important.

They don’t care though. This is all just a big joke to them. Here she is making light of it, and look how commented on the bottom.

 

The Superintendent of the Tampa/Leominster Public Schools. They’re all getting paid. Their kids get to go to school because they can afford it. They get to jump on planes and travel to Florida for football games. They are sacrificing NOTHING, no matter how many times they tell you that this is harder for them than being in school. It’s a lie, and the parents of Leominster (and any district where schools are not reopened) should be raising bloody hell over this. Enough is enough. These selfish, cowardly teachers work for us, and they do NOT get to determine when your kid gets to go to school. Don’t let them hide behind this “only when it’s safe bullshit,” because they know it’s safe and they’re not afraid of COVID.

Stop listening to anyone who says schools should be closed. Challenge them to produce evidence that opening schools leads to widespread transmission of COVID. This is the nonsense you’ll get from low IQ individuals like Wendy Anderson who get their “facts” from celebrity TV doctors who don’t want coronavirus to ever end because it would mean they can’t be on TV anymore.

Call out people like Kelly Ellis.

“Do you actually think teachers should put their lives at risk for you.”

Yes, I do. And luckily they’re not putting their lives at risk at all. All these people have is fear porn. No matter how safe we are they’ll yell “people are dying,” bring up “new strains,” or say “we don’t know what the long term effects are.” These are terrible people who are hurting your children and it’s way past time we stopped playing nice with them or treat them with any sort of respect. When you hurt children you are no longer worthy of that.

Your zip code should not determine your educational opportunities. Look what districts in this state are opened and which ones are closed – Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Worcester, Holyoke, Brockton, New Bedford. Those have some of the highest poverty rates and largest percentage of students of color.

Now look what districts in this state are open – Dover-Sherborn (4 days a week), Concord-Carlisle (told parents who don’t want to send their kids to school that they can homeschool), Shrewsbury, Rochester/Marion/Mattapoisett, Weston, Belmont.

I could go on and on but you get the picture here. A mostly white teaching staff in inner city schools like Leominster are demanding that they be kept away from students of color, who they believe are riddled with disease. Many of the parents in these districts are not civically engaged and are less likely to advocate for their children. Meanwhile, in affluent towns the schools are all reopened because the parents won’t stand for it. Thus the achievement gap grows and the most needy students continue to fall behind. So my message for parents in places like Leominster is to not stand for it anymore. Write to your school committee and superintendent and DEMAND that schools reopen immediately. They work for you, not vice versa.

 

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48 Comment(s)
  • LHS student
    January 19, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    I attend a public school and instead of getting idiocy comments from adults acting like fifth graders who have no idea how a student views this topic, I decided to put my opinion on this. I hate online school, I have no motivation to do any of my work and being a class pres makes it all the more stressful. However I understand the reasons why we have to sacrifice certain things in order to save lives during this tragedy. Leah Burns has been one of the most understanding and empathetic teachers I have had in a long time. She was and still is one of my best history teachers as she doesn’t take strong measures to educate us on false news, but instead educates us on past issues that still continue on today. The first teacher who didn’t shame my opinion on police brutality, who didn’t run from the “racism” topic, who didn’t question my religion, who treated each of her students like adults who have a right to an opinion just as much as anyone else. The fact that you didn’t do further research before trolling an innocent person proves my point on just how useless your page is. How do you have time to parent if your too busy using your time to hurt people on social media. It’s disgusting, cruel, and I truly can’t imagine how a lowlife truly finds it “fun”.
    Do you educate your kids on hate?
    Do you teach them that it’s okay to shame anyone and everyone just because it gives you popularity?
    Grow up, along with most of you adults in the comments encouraging this.
    Those are KIDS!
    We are all suffering not just you, not just your family, not just your friends.
    Instead of finding pleasure in disgusting post like this, try to encourage peace.

  • Virgin Mother Mary
    January 17, 2021 at 6:19 am

    Why would the Catholic church be teaching children yoga? The priest need them ready to ‘serve’.

    #Cumming in the confessional

  • Luke Fondleberg (Deez/Doze)
    Luke Fondleberg (Deez/Doze)
    January 16, 2021 at 2:04 am

    Teacher’s union: We can’t go to work because we don’t know the long-term effects of the virus.

    Also teacher’s union: I’m essential! Give me the untested vaccine!

  • Heather
    January 14, 2021 at 11:59 am

    This is disgusting and by disgusting I mean how some of these people who are commenting on this article! You want to have an “opinion” fine, we all have one. However, the disgusting hate filled comments shows the mentality of some of you. Our children read these articles, they read how adults are reacting to such article but we teach our children love and respect. As well as the PROPER way to handle something they do not agree with. To think you are bashing this woman for how she is teaching our children, yet some of you are raising them.

    • Heather Hyperbole
      January 14, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Heather, I agree with you to some extent: I try to leave crude (women) language and overly hateful sentiments out of my comments. I keep it mostly light but enjoy seeing hypocritical people called out. I think the guys who use awful language on here detract from their points…many of which are good in the broader sense.

      But no “children” are reading this. You’re like the Superintendent in Weston who said the Capitol rally “traumatized” the kids in her schools. No it didn’t, that’s a lie. And guess what you do if a child comes up and asks you about these types of things. You be sensible and objective, and act like an Adult – and explain it to them so it makes sense and they’re OK with it. And then they will go on their merry way!

    • Spic Tormentor
      January 14, 2021 at 1:32 pm

      Fuck off, you retarded cunt.

    • WorkingNurseMom
      January 15, 2021 at 5:56 am

      Your kids must go to private school too.

    • Travis Bickle
      January 15, 2021 at 8:52 am

      Heather, being a broad and all that, perhaps logical thinking doesn’t come natural to you. Let me try to explain the problem here in terms that even you should be able to understand. This nitwit Lea Burns doesn’t want your kids to go to the public schools, because of the “Commie Cold”, but she’s got no problem sending her own kids to a private school. In the man’s world of logic, as opposed to the women’s world of emotion, we call that “hypocrisy”. Got it? Just sayin’…

  • Leo Minster, III
    January 14, 2021 at 11:12 am

    It must be God who has kept COVID-19 away from everyone at Saint Leo, including her own child. I’d be interested to hear Mrs. Burns’s theory on how that school has been able to keep everybody there out of the ICU.

  • Calm WhiteDad
    CalmWhiteDad
    January 14, 2021 at 9:21 am

    The Marxist indoctrination centers and their woke “teachers” have proven their worth, commitment and true allegiance.

    Fire them all. The world will be a better place for it.

  • Pizza T. Hut
    January 14, 2021 at 9:20 am

    If it wasn’t for hypocrisy these filthy leftists would have absolutely no way to debate anything.

  • Travis Bickle
    January 14, 2021 at 8:48 am

    Its funny. Every minimum wage grocery store clerk can go to work every day, and is a “hero” for doing so, but teachers have to stay home or they’re going to die. If we’re going to continue this remote learning nonsense, then what we need to do is fire all the teachers and outsource the work to India. The whole point of remote learning is that it can be done from anywhere. Since that’s the case, then source the remote learning teachers from the lowest cost location, and that’s never going to be Leominster. The same global sourcing companies that provide offshore computer programming resources could also provide remote learning teachers at a fraction of the cost of an MTA member. My company pays something on the order of $2,500 per year per Indian computer programmer working offshore. I have to believe that an Indian school teacher could probably be had for half that, if not less, to provide remote learning instruction from India. We’ve got a golden opportunity here to break the Mass Teacher’s Association and dramatically lower the cost of teaching in this state. I know that I’ll be advocating this at my very next town meeting. It’s for the children. Just sayin’…

  • Done with this shit
    January 14, 2021 at 8:38 am

    I’d like to point out the obvious – while she advocates for closed public schools, her own kid is in an open private school. this paragon of public school education is not concerned with how safe her child is in an enclosed environment, without masks. He’s at school. A private school. He looks happy, healthy, social. What a shameful phoney

  • Nancy Pelosi is a Filthy Cunt
    January 14, 2021 at 5:43 am

    censored

  • Deval Patrick
    January 14, 2021 at 5:41 am

    Everyone is so worried about small business closings in Ma. Know the owners of your favorite local stores and shops.This is a progressive shit hole of a state.Chances are probably pretty good they are Biden Harris supporters.
    Fuck them.Let them fail and close.Give them a taste of CANCEL CULTURE!

    #Cancel The Left.Do nothing to support the new regime

  • mynameismud
    January 13, 2021 at 11:22 pm

    Women like this make it REALLY hard not to be that guy that punches one in the face. I mean, how fucking entitled can you get?! “It’s too dangerous for your kids to go to school” aka “I like not having to go to work”…. All the while, her little monsters are full time while she either sits on her fat ass at home or out fucking off with her friends. Meanwhile, the parents of her students are struggling to make ends meet all while fighting to find child care so they can go to work.

    • Joe Dirt
      January 14, 2021 at 9:23 am

      This is the nonsense which precipitated the rush on the capitol building last week. How many sleazy politicians do we need to see ignoring protocols while lecturing the rest on us on how important they are? That dingbat Pelosi is exhibit A and she’s third in line for the presidency.

  • Cross eyed bitch
    January 13, 2021 at 11:16 pm

    Her and that horse-toothed blond cunt both need a swift kick to the face

  • I Love 80's music
    January 13, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    Ahh Leah…here we go again…

    Ya busted!

  • Mikey Tuber
    January 13, 2021 at 9:26 pm

    I went to high school with Leah
    A little chunky and goofy but kind of cute

    And let me tell you nobody licks a set of hairy balls like her
    And all the while whistling Dixie

  • Bill Gates
    January 13, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    She is kinda hot, I am 40 and she def fits in to my +/- 5 years ideology.

    As long and she doesn’t speak she is fine in my book.

  • Dodo
    January 13, 2021 at 8:19 pm

    I have never been more passionate about an issue. You are doing an amazing job highlighting the hypocrisy in this situation. The “science is real” signs are a joke.

    The negative impact on the kids (social, academic etc) and disproportionately on lower income vastly exceeds the risk from this it is a joke. I am amazed how stupid we are acting

    And data (see Emily later) shows that remote teachers have a higher rate. These duckers aren’t home quarantining for a year.

    I go to work every day “ Risking my life”. Joke

    Tbh, most teachers want to be in. Really directed at union/admin. They are killing teachers reputation.

  • Joan Rome
    January 13, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    Kids in Catholic School shouldn’t be doing yoga. Contrary to church teaching.

  • Life
    January 13, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    Is not risk free.

  • Holden DPW Plow guy
    January 13, 2021 at 8:03 pm

    It comes down to fat lazy and stupid . She’s not unattractive and I’d certainly play escaped convict and Wardens wife with her . It’s just the hypocrisy , just can’t stand an educated bitch who double standards . She’s obviously been a naughty girl and needs … . Oh and fuck Daniel Murr from the Hill man sports show 93.7 fm . A total Bitch ! Almost like flip flop guy I know who writes a blog

  • Greg Thomas
    January 13, 2021 at 7:54 pm

    I hope this gets the media coverage it deserves. Please pass this on to as many news agencies as you can. They think this is a joke and are not taking any of it serious.

    • Woodmeister floor sweeper Holden
      January 13, 2021 at 8:08 pm

      Even funnier to think they’d take TB Sports seriously . Who got banned by social media first Trump or Turtle .

      • Bagel Inn Baker
        January 13, 2021 at 8:28 pm

        Yes well they all claimed to break the State Police dog lady trooper scandal . They didn’t credit the blog until they got called out for it . So your wrong . And I bet you work for Pepsi in the industrial park not woodmeister

    • Frank
      January 13, 2021 at 8:29 pm

      It won’t, they’re all in it together

  • So telling
    January 13, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    That a person so intimately familiar with the public schools, maybe also a current teacher, certainly a teacher in the past to be the union head, does not send her own children to public school. She probably doesn’t even live in Leominster (anybody know?), which means that even the schools in her swanky town aren’t up to her standards.

    Also, WTF is up with Marlborough and their “mask break”? All the kids are STILL in a fucking mask!!!

  • george costanza
    The Weymouth warrior
    January 13, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    I once made the mistake of sharing my coke with Leah, turned my back for one second and WHOOSH!…..gone.

    • yeah, but
      January 13, 2021 at 7:31 pm

      that party in the closet under the stairs was lit!

  • The Professor and Mary Anne
    January 13, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    Just wondering: I Have friends in Vermont, and their kids have been back IN school since September, so what’s different here? Why are the schools either closed or doing the part time / at home bullshit?

  • Captain Trips
    Captain Trips
    January 13, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    I agree keep them closed. No pay for you until they reopen.

    Oh, it’s suddenly safe to reopen?

  • The Ghost Of Paul Shanley
    January 13, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    I miss my time mentoring young lads.

  • fedup
    January 13, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    unbelievable how these teachers keep saying its not safe for them to go back, “it’s putting the teachers in harms way”. What the F_ck do you think everyone else has been doing this whole time, they have been working. Are the teachers and staff more important than everyone else who has to work to get a paycheck? I think we should really look into privatizing our schools and get some real teachers who want to work. Just like in the private sector , you have a choice to go into work and get paid, or stay home if you choose and we will find someone else who wants to work

  • Father Karras
    January 13, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    Spend a little time watching and listening to the average Parochial School versus a Public School student and note the differences, subtle and otherwise. I am sure Mrs. Burns noted this when she chose to enroll her so there instead of at the Pre-K in Leominster. I doubt it was because she used to love the taste of communion wafers.

  • Do The Reich Thing
    January 13, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    That’s right show your kid attending a private school while telling all others your kids are not allowed to socialize with other children. Keep that elite air about you for all to see. I can’t wait until society returns to Charlie’s fucking new normal. I already see signs. Adults unwilling to approach a door being held for them, as if the door magically is sanitized once I let go of it. Keeping the magical six feet apart (who the fuck invented this?). Some children (only children) unsure how to interact around other children. Mental health issues are going to be awesome in the next decade.

  • WeRFucked
    January 13, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    I guess my boys teachers at St. John’s in Shrewsbury don’t have a safe work environment because they’ve been in school.

    Fucking unions.

    What the fuck does Leah say about sending her toddler to daycare, but she can’t send students to school? Could it be that she can’t get any work done from home with the toddler there? She’s able to stay home all day, but will risk the life of her child by sending him to a possible covid breeding ground? What if he brings covid-19 home? Oh… do as I say, not as I do.

    Imagine the parent of a first grader who can’t work from home? Can that parent send their kid to daycare?

    Fucking unions.

  • Text him
    January 13, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    A known pedo just moved into town. Let Water know that touching kids is unacceptable

    954-829-2475

    • Text him
      January 13, 2021 at 3:14 pm

      Walter*

  • Bill Cribben
    January 13, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    These same stay at home teachers want to be called first responders and jump seniors in the vaccination line. Beware when someone calls themselves an Educator they are probably not a Teacher.

  • Back The Blue
    January 13, 2021 at 3:03 pm

    Lazy cunt, get your fat ass back in the class room

  • Impeach Biden
    January 13, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    Umm, the school districts you mention are reopening because Biden won. Just like Cuomo admitted it is now miraculously time to re-open New York, Walsh admitted it is time to re-open Boston, and colleges/universities in this state have said they will reopen this Spring and Fall. So no worries people, Covid-19 with magically go away over the next few weeks and months. By summer it will be relegated to the story going into the second break on the news and the Living/Health section of the newspaper.

    • George
      January 13, 2021 at 8:13 pm

      Like Y2K.

  • Leah the Hypocrite
    January 13, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    Here are 7 behaviors, beliefs and tendencies of hypocrites that may reveal their true identity:
    Attempting to punish someone for “pointing out” any wrongdoings. …
    Aura of condescension and superiority. …
    Rules don’t apply to them… …
    Excuses, lies, and more of the same. …
    “Do as I say, not as I do.” …
    Always playing the victim.
    It’s not, and never is their fault.

    Citizens, and especially all parents of Leominster school age children, should ask ( 978 ) union President Leah Burns directly why ( 660 ) she is demonstrating hypocritical traits ( 0595 ), and demand that Leominster schools open immediately.

    • That guy
      January 13, 2021 at 6:29 pm

      Coincidentally those are some of the same indications of a sociopath.

  • ANGRY GIANT
    January 13, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    it is funny that a PBS honcho says that the kids of Trump voters should be put in reeducation camps….

    Already done! The public schools!!!!!

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