WARDSBORO-I would like to wholeheartedly agree with letter writer Stephen Stearns that we must defend our precious First Amendment right to speak freely without government censure.
His letter reminds me of the time former Windsor High School Principal Tiffany Riley was improperly fired by the Mount Ascutney School Board in 2020 for a comment she posted on her personal Facebook page.
Shamefully, the ACLU of Vermont did not take up the case, but thankfully other First Amendment groups stepped in. Federal District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford issued a stinging pretrial ruling in 2021 when he wrote "undisputed facts establish" the school district failed to follow established procedures and Tiffany Riley was denied due process.
The former principal received a $650,000 settlement from the school district ending this sad story.
Even in Vermont we must be vigilant.
Mickey Nowak
Wardsboro
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