Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement:
“I’ve been clear, we must not allow ourselves to be distracted or live in a constant state of fear, anger or outrage over the next 45 months. Instead, we need principled and responsible leadership because there is too much work to do right here in Vermont like building more housing and making Vermont more affordable.
“We’ll continue to separate rhetoric from reality and make decisions based on what’s in the best interest of Vermont and Vermont’s values.
“A good example of this is the current conversation in education. There’s fear that Vermont might change how diversity, equity and inclusion policy is implemented in our school system. The reality is that we’ve been asked to verify we comply with existing federal civil rights laws and our democratic Attorney General agrees with our assessment.
“Still, without acknowledging the facts, or how my Administration was handling the matter, some activists stoked more fear and anxiety throughout our education system. My office heard from hundreds of parents and educators – all of whom had been given inaccurate information or worse, misled.
“To move the Nation past the chaos Washington is causing, we need to rise above it and lead by example.”