Help Brenda Gravel - Home&Job Loss
Donation protected
On Tuesday, January 10, Brenda, Dana, Leesa & CJ Gravel (and their two dogs) lost their home in Wolcott, Vermont when smoke and fire swept through leaving the family displaced. We have been advised that a 3 month time frame is what is anticipated to get the home and contents restored.
The day following Brenda's loss of her home, the LSSU Superintendent mailed her a letter stating that, after eight years of service, her employment as Admin Assistant to the Superintendent was being terminated.
Please read Brenda's letter to the Superintendent at the bottom of this message.
It is difficult to imagine coping with the loss of both a home and employment. Nonetheless, Brenda and Dana stay focused on their children, CJ and Leesa. Leesa graduated from PA in 2014 and CJ is a senior at Stowe and high functioning autistic. CJ plans to attend Lyndon State for game design after his graduation this June.
With no notice of any issue with her job performance, only two weeks' severance, and at least three months before the family will be able to return home, Brenda and her family need your help. We have all seen the good our community can do when it pulls together for someone in need.
Please contribute as you're able knowing that Brenda, Dana, Leesa, and CJ will pay your kindness forward whenever possible.
Brenda Gravel
Wolcott VT 05680
HAND DELIVERED
January 16, 2017
Tracy Wrend, Superintendent
Lamoille South Supervisory Union
46 Copley Avenue
Morrisville VT 05661
Tracy:
This it to acknowledge receipt of, and respond to, your letters dated January 10 and 11, 2017.
The reason I did not come into work on January 11th was because on the night of January 10th, I was celebrating my mother’s 74th birthday at her home in Hardwick, and when I returned from the celebration our home was on fire. At 3:30am on January 11th, I had to take our dogs to New Hampshire for emergency veterinary treatment. I spent the day traveling to three different veterinary hospitals for emergency care for my dogs that were trapped in our home for hours during the fire. I also had to meet with the fire marshal, insurance adjuster, restoration company and contractor. Our home landline was lost in the fire, and you know that we do not have cell service at our home in Wolcott. I’m sorry I couldn’t get word to you, but I was trying to save our dogs and I (mistakenly) assumed that Human Resources would notify you of my situation, as Lisa had contacted a friend of mine (on the evening of January 10th) to confirm that it was in fact my home that was on fire.
Since 2008, you have renewed my contract annually, with annual salary increases. On December 12th, out-of-the-blue, you informed me that you felt it was best that I seek employment elsewhere. You expressed that you liked me personally, liked a lot of the functions that I have performed for you, and wished that you could offer me another placement, but that you did not have a place to put me. I have been treated unfairly by you, feel like I’ve been railroaded by you, and the unfair treatment sure feels like harassment to me.
Here are the facts:
1. You knew in October (since the Stowe School Board met twice in October) that the Stowe School Board and the EMUU School Board would hold special meetings concurrently with the LSSU Board on November 30th, to discuss Act 46.
2. The Stowe School Board Special Meeting scheduled for November 30th was discussed several times in October and on November 7th, with members of the Stowe School Board.
3. You approved the LSSU Board meeting Agenda for the November 30th meeting, and agreed to post it in the November 17th edition of the Stowe Reporter, but you didn’t tell me to send an Agenda to the Stowe Reporter for the Stowe School Board Special Meeting on November 30th when I sent the LSSU Board meeting Agenda to the Stowe Reporter.
4. You knew that the Stowe Reporter didn’t publish notice of, and an Agenda for, the Stowe School Board Special Meeting in the November 17th edition of the Stowe Reporter.
5. I was not informed that there would be a Stowe School Board Special Meeting concurrent with the LSSU Board meeting on November 30th, until you returned from your principals meeting on November 21st. I was also asked to request a room location for the meetings.
a. On November 21st at 2:16pm, I requested a room location via email to Dan Morrison, Jeff Maher and Maryanne Hough. (On Sunday, November 27th at 8:30pm, Dan Morrison responded to my email with the room location.)
6. On November 21st, I prepared the special meeting agendas for Stowe School Board and the EMUU Board meetings. Once you reviewed and approved the agendas, I informed you that it may be too late to get in the Stowe Reporter because of the Monday, 12:00pm deadline, and also because it was a holiday week.
7. I sent the Agendas to the Stowe Reporter and News & Citizen (without the room location where the meetings would be held) for possible submission in the November 23rd edition of the Stowe Reporter on Monday, November 21st at 2:38pm. I was informed at 2:41pm, Monday, November 21st by the Stowe Reporter, “Sorry too late with Thanksgiving this week…..” I then passed the message on to you.
8. On Friday, November 25th at 10:48am you emailed me, “I need help with updating calendars and posting things on Monday, please. Also, need to review EMUU Agenda posting and calendar.” (This email was forwarded with emails from Richard Bland dated November 17th, November 23rd and November 25th.)
9. You knew I had a scheduled day off on Tuesday, the 22nd, you knew I wasn’t in the office on Friday, the 25th because the office was closed, and that I wouldn’t see the email until Monday, the 28th.
10. Knowing that the LSSU office was closed, you didn’t ask John Meyer to post notice of the meeting under the school calendar and an Agenda on the website, nor did you ask him to send out the Agenda through MailChimp.
11. You did not call me to come in to the office on Saturday, November 26th to post the special meeting agendas on the website.
12. You did not call me to come in to the office on Sunday, November 27th to post the special meeting agendas on the website.
13. As you know, the Agenda was finally posted on the website on the morning of Monday, November 28th.
14. The Stowe, EMUU and LSSU Board Members don’t know that you were blaming me for your oversight and, if any of them do know, you have once again violated Open Meeting law. (No personnel item appeared on the agenda from December 14th meetings, to be discussed in Executive Session, other than the evaluation of the Superintendent; and yet, on December 16th upon my inquiry, Lisa Cross informed me “Yes, they were informed in Executive Session.”: another Open Meeting law violation.)
Since November 28th, I have been so distraught in my work environment that I have been anxious, had many sleepless nights, and I had resumed my counseling through the Employee Assistance Program. I’ve been dealing with the loss of my home and my job within a 24-hour time frame, while trying to maintain normalcy for my family, especially for my autistic son. And you had the effrontery and temerity to say in your closing line in your letter to me of January 11th, “Sorry to hear about the situation with your home.” I am being used as a scapegoat for your own omissions, for what you are responsible for, and what you did not do.
Respectfully,
Brenda Gravel
The day following Brenda's loss of her home, the LSSU Superintendent mailed her a letter stating that, after eight years of service, her employment as Admin Assistant to the Superintendent was being terminated.
Please read Brenda's letter to the Superintendent at the bottom of this message.
It is difficult to imagine coping with the loss of both a home and employment. Nonetheless, Brenda and Dana stay focused on their children, CJ and Leesa. Leesa graduated from PA in 2014 and CJ is a senior at Stowe and high functioning autistic. CJ plans to attend Lyndon State for game design after his graduation this June.
With no notice of any issue with her job performance, only two weeks' severance, and at least three months before the family will be able to return home, Brenda and her family need your help. We have all seen the good our community can do when it pulls together for someone in need.
Please contribute as you're able knowing that Brenda, Dana, Leesa, and CJ will pay your kindness forward whenever possible.
Brenda Gravel
Wolcott VT 05680
HAND DELIVERED
January 16, 2017
Tracy Wrend, Superintendent
Lamoille South Supervisory Union
46 Copley Avenue
Morrisville VT 05661
Tracy:
This it to acknowledge receipt of, and respond to, your letters dated January 10 and 11, 2017.
The reason I did not come into work on January 11th was because on the night of January 10th, I was celebrating my mother’s 74th birthday at her home in Hardwick, and when I returned from the celebration our home was on fire. At 3:30am on January 11th, I had to take our dogs to New Hampshire for emergency veterinary treatment. I spent the day traveling to three different veterinary hospitals for emergency care for my dogs that were trapped in our home for hours during the fire. I also had to meet with the fire marshal, insurance adjuster, restoration company and contractor. Our home landline was lost in the fire, and you know that we do not have cell service at our home in Wolcott. I’m sorry I couldn’t get word to you, but I was trying to save our dogs and I (mistakenly) assumed that Human Resources would notify you of my situation, as Lisa had contacted a friend of mine (on the evening of January 10th) to confirm that it was in fact my home that was on fire.
Since 2008, you have renewed my contract annually, with annual salary increases. On December 12th, out-of-the-blue, you informed me that you felt it was best that I seek employment elsewhere. You expressed that you liked me personally, liked a lot of the functions that I have performed for you, and wished that you could offer me another placement, but that you did not have a place to put me. I have been treated unfairly by you, feel like I’ve been railroaded by you, and the unfair treatment sure feels like harassment to me.
Here are the facts:
1. You knew in October (since the Stowe School Board met twice in October) that the Stowe School Board and the EMUU School Board would hold special meetings concurrently with the LSSU Board on November 30th, to discuss Act 46.
2. The Stowe School Board Special Meeting scheduled for November 30th was discussed several times in October and on November 7th, with members of the Stowe School Board.
3. You approved the LSSU Board meeting Agenda for the November 30th meeting, and agreed to post it in the November 17th edition of the Stowe Reporter, but you didn’t tell me to send an Agenda to the Stowe Reporter for the Stowe School Board Special Meeting on November 30th when I sent the LSSU Board meeting Agenda to the Stowe Reporter.
4. You knew that the Stowe Reporter didn’t publish notice of, and an Agenda for, the Stowe School Board Special Meeting in the November 17th edition of the Stowe Reporter.
5. I was not informed that there would be a Stowe School Board Special Meeting concurrent with the LSSU Board meeting on November 30th, until you returned from your principals meeting on November 21st. I was also asked to request a room location for the meetings.
a. On November 21st at 2:16pm, I requested a room location via email to Dan Morrison, Jeff Maher and Maryanne Hough. (On Sunday, November 27th at 8:30pm, Dan Morrison responded to my email with the room location.)
6. On November 21st, I prepared the special meeting agendas for Stowe School Board and the EMUU Board meetings. Once you reviewed and approved the agendas, I informed you that it may be too late to get in the Stowe Reporter because of the Monday, 12:00pm deadline, and also because it was a holiday week.
7. I sent the Agendas to the Stowe Reporter and News & Citizen (without the room location where the meetings would be held) for possible submission in the November 23rd edition of the Stowe Reporter on Monday, November 21st at 2:38pm. I was informed at 2:41pm, Monday, November 21st by the Stowe Reporter, “Sorry too late with Thanksgiving this week…..” I then passed the message on to you.
8. On Friday, November 25th at 10:48am you emailed me, “I need help with updating calendars and posting things on Monday, please. Also, need to review EMUU Agenda posting and calendar.” (This email was forwarded with emails from Richard Bland dated November 17th, November 23rd and November 25th.)
9. You knew I had a scheduled day off on Tuesday, the 22nd, you knew I wasn’t in the office on Friday, the 25th because the office was closed, and that I wouldn’t see the email until Monday, the 28th.
10. Knowing that the LSSU office was closed, you didn’t ask John Meyer to post notice of the meeting under the school calendar and an Agenda on the website, nor did you ask him to send out the Agenda through MailChimp.
11. You did not call me to come in to the office on Saturday, November 26th to post the special meeting agendas on the website.
12. You did not call me to come in to the office on Sunday, November 27th to post the special meeting agendas on the website.
13. As you know, the Agenda was finally posted on the website on the morning of Monday, November 28th.
14. The Stowe, EMUU and LSSU Board Members don’t know that you were blaming me for your oversight and, if any of them do know, you have once again violated Open Meeting law. (No personnel item appeared on the agenda from December 14th meetings, to be discussed in Executive Session, other than the evaluation of the Superintendent; and yet, on December 16th upon my inquiry, Lisa Cross informed me “Yes, they were informed in Executive Session.”: another Open Meeting law violation.)
Since November 28th, I have been so distraught in my work environment that I have been anxious, had many sleepless nights, and I had resumed my counseling through the Employee Assistance Program. I’ve been dealing with the loss of my home and my job within a 24-hour time frame, while trying to maintain normalcy for my family, especially for my autistic son. And you had the effrontery and temerity to say in your closing line in your letter to me of January 11th, “Sorry to hear about the situation with your home.” I am being used as a scapegoat for your own omissions, for what you are responsible for, and what you did not do.
Respectfully,
Brenda Gravel
Organizer and beneficiary
Sharon Ferland
Organizer
Wolcott, VT
Brenda Gravel
Beneficiary
