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Health mandates
There is no doubt one of the biggest debates during these historic times is masking, especially for children K-12. Some believe the risk is so remote that any masking is unwarranted, some believe all kids should be masked, and many are somewhere in the middle. At the end of the day, we believe the choice should be in the hands of the those who know their children’s physical, mental and emotional health best, their parents.
For our community, this right of parental choice for the health of their children has been met with a lack of respect and representation from the board. In a board vote of 5-1 on July 19, 2021, the MPPS school board voted to mask our children under the age of 12 as they were not old enough to receive a EUA COVID-19 vaccine. This vote was the basis for our recall petition effort. Evidence and studies were provided to the board regarding the adverse effects of masks, however this information was dismissed. Furthermore, and in response to a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA), the district was unable to provide attestation and support that masks do not pose any harm.
Parents do not want mandates of masks or any other individual health decision to be made by the school district. The health of our children is our determination to do as we see best fit. It is not the job of the school to determine our beliefs or the best method of health action for our children. The children are NOT the boards’ children, they are OUR children. We choose!
Below are recent articles summarizing the results of studies which support our position that masking for children K-12 should be left in the hands of parents.
New York Magazine 8/20/21
The below article from August 20, 2021 refers to a recent study published by the CDC on July 9, 2021. The CDC study does not support the basis for mask mandating. The article specifically states the following:
“That a masking requirement of students failed to show independent benefit is a finding of consequence and great interest,” says Vinay Prasad, an associate professor in University of California, San Francisco’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “It should have been included in the summary.” “The summary gives the impression that only masking of staff was studied,” says Tracy Hoeg, an epidemiologist and the senior author of a separate CDC study on COVID-19 transmission in schools, “when in reality there was this additional important detection about a student-masking requirement not having a statistical impact.”
Read entire article here:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/the-science-of-masking-kids-at-school-remains-uncertain.html
Washington Examiner 8/12/21
The Washington Examiner published an opinion article on August 12, 2021 which calls into question the types of studies the CDC has been relying on to make their recommendations. There are two types of studies, observational and randomized control trials (RCT). RCT studies are more reliable as they compare one variable group to a control group to determine effectiveness. Of the 14 RCTs that have tested the effectiveness of masks, eleven have concluded the masks were useless or counterproductive.
Read the full opinion here:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/do-masks-actually-work-the-best-studies-suggest-they-dont
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
10/26/20
The link below is directly from the CDC that makes masking recommendations. Yet, the CDC themselves has stated “The filtration, effectiveness, fit, and performance of cloth masks are inferior to those of medical masks and respirators. Cloth mask use should not be mandated for healthcare workers, who should as a priority be provided proper respiratory protection.”
Compilation of support and studies
Parents, community members and healthcare workers from across the State have provided research, evidence and affidavits to keep our children free of masks. A surplus of this information has been provided to the board and you can find much of it in here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SPB8HfMB6ccekCwVsej4o0nz-w7oE3uURASrObdHNM4/edit?usp=sharing .
Anonymous Parent
"My daughter already had issues with anxiety. When she was required to mask up again this year she once again started to have anxiety attacks and severe issues. I have gotten no support from the schools and I believe it is a violation of my rights to not be able to do what I know is in the best interest of my child."
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