HVACR program graduates first class
Westford students raise pride flag
The program at the Center for Technology, Essex is the only one of its kind in the Chittenden County area.
Two Westford Elementary students returned before the board with a new request. Story on page 3
Story on page 2
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Opioid Alliance releases toolkit for employers By COLIN FLANDERS
The Chittenden County Opioid Alliance last week released a comprehensive toolkit for employers looking to support members of their workforce battling substance use disorders. Christine Johnson, the CCOA’s executive director, said the toolkit is a recognition of the role employers can play in combating the stigma that prevents many people from ever talking about their substance use disorders with their employers. “Imagine how different it would be,” Johnson said, “if you walked into your employer and they said, ‘We’re going to help you.’” A brainchild of the CCOA’s working recovery access team, the toolkit was created in response to a survey among more than 100 Vermont employers that found a growing desire to better understand and recognize substance use disorders. That’s become especially true as Vermont’s low unemployment rate, which dropped to a historic low of 2.2 percent as of April, continues to pressure employers to “engage all sectors of the workforce,” Johnson said. She then pointed to statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which show 60 percent of the 20 million or so people currently dealing with substance use disorders are in the workforce. “We already have people working in our companies that have substance See TOOLKIT, page 7
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Essex police arrest one of their colleagues, who played the role of a distressed father during a mock DUI demonstration at Essex High School last Friday.
Mock DUI sends serious message By COLIN FLANDERS Thankfully, the scene was staged, but for Essex police officers who have experienced crashes just like it, last week’s mock DUI was a reminder of the real pain drunk drivers can cause. Staged the day before prom, last Friday’s demonstration at Essex High School was an effort to reinforce the importance of making smart choices, according to Essex police officer Ryon Sorrell, who, like many officers, said he has seen first-hand the impact juvenile drunk driving
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can have on families. “We know kids are doing things,” Sorrell said. “We want them to be smart on the choices they make, whether it be staying at somebody’s house, staying at the after prom party, whatever it is they’re doing, we want them to be safe.” The mock DUI culminated a driving safety week coordinated by Essex High School teacher Deb Kalkstein-Lamb and Center for Technology, Essex instructor Linda Dulleba and featured activities like a texting-while-driving golf See CRASH, page 17
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EssEx REpoRtER | THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019
Vol. 18 No. 21