Exeter High School in New Hampshire, roughly 30 miles east of Manchester, has parents fuming after their students were marked with sharpies based on their vaccination status in order to attend their senior prom. NBC Boston reported the high school “marked any student who didn’t have a vaccination card with a black sharpie while those who had gotten the jab were given a red mark.”
Republican Representative Melissa Litchfield took to Facebook to post information she had received from concerned constituents. “If they were on the dance floor they had to raise their hands after every three songs so their numbers could be recorded by other underclass students for contact tracing purposes. There’s even more to the story, but this is surprising to us” Litchfield wrote.
Another constituent asked Litchfield to go to the school board, concerned it was similar to marking students with a “scarlet letter.” NBC Boston reported the school district responded by telling the news outlet that markings were for contact tracing in order to allow all kids to attend prom, regardless of their vaccination status. Litchfield said parents had no idea of the plan, though the school district claims students were told about the contact tracing system when they signed up for prom.
“Our student and parent feedback has been extremely positive regarding the prom experience. We are aware that some concerns have been expressed that students were singled out or had their privacy violated. We made every effort possible – while adhering to contact tracing guidelines – to ensure that this did not happen” Principal Mike Monahan told NBC Boston in a statement.
“We hope the community will understand that while no model is perfect, this model let the students enjoy a close to normal and highly desired experience to cap off their senior year. That’s the memory we want to leave them with” Monahan’s statement continued.
Breitbart also reported about the matter:
Litchfield reported another constituent said:
They also left the list of student names (first and last) with the info on whether they were vaccinated or not on a table outside after the prom. I found it the next morning. This information should 1. Not have been shared and 2. Should never be left where anyone can have access to it. I have a photo of the list.
“I find it absolutely unbelievable that ‘ ‘ and ‘ ‘ was allowed to treat the kids like prisoners in Nazi Germany,” another person told Litchfield. “Marking them, thus singling them out, and then having to raise their hands is beyond tolerable.”
“First the school could be looking at lawsuits for violation of Hippa [HIPPA] rights,” the constituent continued. “They have no business asking for a vaccine card … last Thursday masks were no longer required outside and if this is in effect it should not have mattered if they were vaccinated or not.”
“If anyone has any further information, I would very much appreciate it,” Litchfield posted. “There has been much talk at the State level regarding vaccination status and confidentiality.”
Banfield reported she was contacted on social media by a parent whose child attended the prom. The parent said her child (name kept confidential) “was at this event and was ‘numbered’ with a sharpie because (child) was not vaccinated.”
