Jerry C. Sheppard       
Heather M. Sheppard     
2381 N. Cambridge Rd.   
Jeffersonville, VT 05464
802-644-5888            
aurora6874@aol.com      
February 9 2005         

Lamoille Union Middle & High Schools
736 VT 15 West
Hyde Park, VT 05655

Dear Principal’s Fortune & Lowe,
    I am writing you as a concerned, and rather upset parent and citizen of Lamoille County.   I am inserting a conversation that I recently had with an employee of your Schools.   As you read, I am sure you will understand my concerns.   On Thursday 1-27-05, approximately 1:45PM, I went to a WIC appointment for my 4 year old at the Morrisville Health Department.   I was 1 and 1/2 hours late for my appointment.   A lady weighed and measured my daughter, then left the room.   The nurse that was to discuss nutrition and the foods that my daughter would be receiving was named Joyce.
    Joyce was very friendly and talked openly about many things.   She shared about her legally blind daughter, and other miscellaneous things.   Joyce told me that she worked at the Lamoille Union Middle and High Schools as a nurse.   I asked her if she knew my daughter, who attends the school.   Joyce said no, but she would pay attention to see if she ran into my daughter at the school.   I told her we are new to Cambridge and how much we love the area.
    Joyce told me about nursing in the School and said she worked with a nurse named Marcia.   She elaborated that the kids felt comfortable with Joyce and they could cuss and other things like that, but not around Marcia.   She said that Marcia wouldn’t allow crudeness and language.   Joyce implied that she was more "informed" than Marcia.   On a day that Marcia wasn’t in the office, a girl (unnamed), came into the school nurses office very upset and thought she was pregnant.   Joyce proceeded to tell me that "I knew just what to do. I made a call and so and so <she gave the name but I forgot the name> came and got the girl and took her to planned parenthood, and her parents will probably never know <as she laughed, literally laughed when she said this>"   I felt like I was going to throw up.   I almost got sick.   She said something to the effect that the person took the girl and brought her back during the day.   I asked her why didn’t she refer the girl to a CareNet Agency.   She asked me what that was and I told her that it was an alternative to Planned Parenthood.   I think she knew I was horrified, because she immediately began to inform me as to the fact that incest and abuse are big problems in Lamoille county, her parents "will probably just beat the crap out of her if she told them she was pregnant."   Joyce continued on for a while, justifying the actions she took.   Our appointment had long been over as we had talked for close to 20 minutes or so.   I excused myself and we left.

These are the accounts as I remember them on that day.
Heather M. Sheppard

    What have we come to that a public school nurse can call planned parenthood and have girls taken off school grounds in the middle of the day to "take care of the problem" and that "the parents will probably never know".   How can parents know their children are safe at school when a nurse at a local High school is engaging in this practice?   I am enraged that my child could be taken off school grounds without my consent.   For Heavens sake, I have to sign a permission slip for every field trip.   I have to fill out three documents at the beginning of the year with a medical history and for my child to take "Advil, Tylenol, and cough drops" administered by a school nurse.   Something must be done.
    I submit this to you to deal with as you should.   This demands action.   I humbly request that you make a response to me about this problem.   Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,             

Heather M. Sheppard