A Broken Process Cannot Produce A Legitimate Outcome

To the editor: We write as concerned members of the Nantucket community in response to the March 19th Board of Health meeting.

What occurred during that meeting was not only troubling from a procedural standpoint, it was deeply disheartening on a human level for the many families, students, and community members who have invested themselves in this process for months.

Since October, many of us have dedicated significant time and energy to this project. We have shown up, reviewed the science, attended meetings, and encouraged our children to engage, to speak, and to trust that their voices matter. We told them to believe in the process.

We are also a community of working families balancing jobs, responsibilities, and daily life. And yet, for months, parents have left work early, hired babysitters, missed family dinners, and rearranged their lives to participate in a process they believed would be fair.

During the March 19 meeting, certain members of the Select Board stepped in and cautioned the Board of Health as discussion approached a potential violation of Open Meeting Law. That intervention protected the integrity of the meeting and the public’s right to a fair and transparent process.

While earlier stages of this project, particularly under the School Committee, reflected a fair and thoughtful review, what occurred at the Board of Health raised serious concerns.

There were attempts to introduce motions not listed on the posted agenda, along with discussion of adding new conditions without proper notice or opportunity for public review. These concerns were not isolated to a single meeting, but reflect broader patterns observed throughout the process. In prior meetings, agendas were often vague, materials were at times incomplete or unavailable in advance, and it was not always clear whether public comment would be allowed. Even at the most recent meeting, many left feeling their voices were not fully heard.

These are not technicalities. Open Meeting Law and agenda requirements exist to ensure transparency and meaningful public participation. When those standards are not met, the public cannot engage in an informed way or provide meaningful input on the matters being discussed.

At the same time, significant resources have been invested by the school to provide expert analysis and testimony. It is deeply concerning to see those efforts appear to be disregarded without clear, transparent justification.

This issue extends beyond any single project. It speaks to whether public boards are operating within the bounds of the law and upholding the level of transparency and fairness our community expects and deserves.

We urge town leadership to review the conduct of the Board of Health, ensure full compliance with Open Meeting Law, and take the necessary steps to restore public trust in this process.

Public trust is not automatic. It is earned through a process that is open, lawful, and fair. When that process breaks down, so does confidence in the outcome.

If we ask our children to believe in the process, then we have an obligation to ensure that process is worthy of their trust.

A broken process cannot produce a legitimate outcome.

Sincerely,

Jennie Cook, Kate Garrette, Kim Latlippe, Erin Myers, Graham Veysey, Elizabeth Weber, Ugne Aleknaite, Mary Ard, Christy Baker, Kimroy Barrett, Whitney Barrett, Becky Becker, Craig Beni, Jocelyn Beni, Bruce Beni, Rich Brannigan Sr., Rich P Brannigan II, Jurgita Budaite, Graham Burton, Lulu Burton, Noemi Capizzo, Scott Capizzo, Hillari Chatti, Julia Chumak, Sergei Chumak, Bess Clarke, Marion Conley, Ryan Conway, Chris Connolly, Pat Considine, Shannon Considine, Jimmy Cook, Paul Cronin, Cheryl Curtis, Jay Curtis, Hadley Dutra, Jesse Dutra, Kaitlyn Erisman, Dan Farrell, Dalton Frazier, Jennifer Frazier, Gillian Freter, Cam Gammill, Tom Garrette Jenny Hanlon, Tom Hanlon, Shelbi Harimon, Liza Hatton, Audra Hicks, Jenn Hudson Grace Hull, Stephany Hunter, Nathan Kaiser, Pete Kaiser, Chris Kling, Kate Kling, JP Latlippe, Doug LeBrecht, Gina LeBrecht, Nat Lowell, Jami Lower, Paula Maloney Amanda Massey, Doug Massey, Susan McCarthy, Courtney McKechnie, John Myers, Anna Nagys, Tracy Nichols, W Scott Osif, Jody Paterson, Rachel Paul, Jack Pearson, Meg Pearson, Piya Phatthanaphuti, Jim Pignato, Ana Ribeiro, Jamie Roberts, Nathan Roberts, Lauren Soverino, Thitima Sasomsin, Ernie Strang, Jamie Strang, Audrey Sterk, Katie Sullivan, Owen Sullivan, Sean Sullivan, Susie Tapley, Kareem Taha, Brent Tartamella, Candice Tétrault, Vilma Vadoklis, Jill Vieth, Quinn Veysey, Stephen Wall, Holly Wall, Daniel Weber, Lisa Wisentaner, and Adele Yelverton