I was dismayed to learn that some members of the Amherst-Pelham regional school committee want to decline help from the National Guard in COVID testing because of a fear that the presence of uniformed service members in schools would be “traumatic” for some students.
The members of the National Guard are heroes of our community. They sacrifice large amounts of their time, and sometimes risk their lives, to protect all of us.
If some students have the perception that these are people to be feared, then that perception needs to be corrected. The school committee should seize the opportunity to help correct that misperception by welcoming the National Guard to our schools.
Philip Carter
Leverett