Get illuminated
End of an era
Two-day festival features music, food, fun
South Burlington woman closes pediatric office
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the MARCH 28, 2024
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VOLUME 48, NO. 13
At Orchard School
Harbinger of spring
Parents’ lawsuit asserts racial bias, discrimination against district LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
“This was a huge, heavy lift by fire Chief Steven Locke and police Chief Shawn Burke and all of our dispatchers and many on our fire leadership,” Jessie Baker, South Burlington’s city manager, said. “It’s a new
An investigation by the Vermont Human Rights Commission found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Orchard Elementary School and South Burlington School District illegally discriminated against a biracial kindergarten student in the 2018-2019 school year in violation of Vermont’s Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act. Gregory and Lindsey Larmond, the parents of the student in the commission’s 2022 investigatory report — filed a civil complaint based on the claims outlined in that report three months after it was unanimously accepted by all five commission members. The lawsuit, which the Human Rights Commission is an interested party in, is currently in mediation. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for April with a jury draw date set for May. “When viewing the totality of the circumstances, this investigation concludes that the Respondent’s failure to proactively address the concerns of the (parents) are a reflection of racial bias and discrimination on the basis of race and color,” reads the detailed 40-page report. “This bias and disparate treatment
See DISPATCH CENTER on page 19
See LAWSUIT on page 15
PHOTO BY MIKE DEAN
A robin enjoys a crabapple snack during last weekend’s snowfall in South Burlington.
South Burlington bolsters dispatch center COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
South Burlington last week unveiled new improvements to its dispatch center that the city says will bolster its public safety apparatus as efforts to regionalize remain elusive. The city police department last week
revealed a new “state-of-the-art” dispatch center, with new technology upgrading the center from two workstations to four. It features the latest technology, including fire computer-aided dispatch software, new computer hardware, and integration with the video technology operating within police headquarters and city hall.
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