As an employee of a local hospital and a parent of two UTC students, I was very disappointed with the Hamilton County Board Of Education’s response to masks in school. Our hospitals are full of adults and children fighting the virus and the staff is overwhelmed. As educators, I do not understand the Board of Education’s response to wearing masks as an option and not a requirement. All children should be taught to safely and appropriately use a mask in public settings. The CDC and WHO have issued statements that due to the surge in cases in children and the uncertainty and quick mutation of this virus, children six years of age and up should be masking like adults. This virus is unpredictable, infecting the young and old, vaccinated and unvaccinated. So, why are we taking chances with our children’s lives?
I have adult children. However, if they were K-12 aged I would require them to wear a mask. It is my job as their parent to make decisions for them to keep them safe and healthy. It is the job of the schools to keep them safe and teach them to follow the rules. Their minds are not equipped to make these decisions until at least high school, in my opinion. By the Board of Education allowing parents to “opt out” of their children wearing masks, I believe we are not preparing them for their future and putting their lives in danger. As I said before, working at the hospital has given me insight into the fact that this virus is unpredictable and very aggressive. Many children have underlying conditions such as diabetes and cardiac issues that make them more susceptible to the virus. I don’t understand why any parent would want their children to be exposed to anything that could take their lives. We vaccinate our children against measles, polio etc. but some don’t care about a virus that has killed 4.33 million people with the United States leading the world in the most deaths and cases. If that doesn’t scare a parent then I have to wonder what it will take to make them take notice of the devastation of this virus?
Last but not least, this culture we are currently experiencing of “I will do what I want because I don’t like the rules and it is my right” nonsense is breeding a future adult that none of us like to deal with. I’m already seeing it in my workplace, the grocery store and church. When masks are required but the adults refuse to follow the rules their children see this and mirror that behavior. Every place we go has rules and rules are to be followed because there are consequences if you do not. If a restaurant says “No Shoe, No Shirt, No Service” or you don’t eat, people comply. The law says you have to wear a seatbelt or get a ticket from the police, people comply. When you fly on a plane you are required to go through security and follow rules on the plane or you don’t fly, people comply. If you work construction or in a plant, you must wear a hard hat and safety goggles or be fired, people comply. But you are asked to wear a mask in a hospital, grocery store, church or school to protect yourself and others from a virus, “You are taking my rights away as an American!”
Does anyone else see how ridiculous and dangerous this is? We are seeing it every day in our government and the White House and our country is in crisis. These same parents who oppose our current leaders have made mask wearing political and it is not. What they are doing is letting their children know that if they don’t like something, you just scream, kick and rant and don’t accept it. That makes it very difficult for our police, our teachers and their children’s future employers. Life does not work like this. Parents prepare your children for the real world of taking responsibility and participating in rules for the greater good of everyone.
Annette C. Wilson
* * *
Ms. Wilson,
I honestly feel like we are citizens of the greatest and proudest country on the planet. It also seems as if we, for the most part, have become a country of spoiled rotten brats with a massive sense of entitlement. Given the way we have been acting the last few years - I believe the founding fathers look down on us in shame and embarrassment.
We seem to be more interested in personal liberties - "I don't have to wear a mask and you can't make me," than doing what we know is best for our children, the country and the planet.
I understand the vaccines are not fully approved by the FDA. I also understand the uncertainty and/or fear a lack of full approval could create. So wear a mask. At various times, we've heard people like Jim Jordan, the current mayor of Cuckoo-ville Marjorie Taylor Greene and others ranting on about vaccines not working and/or masks don't work and are dangerous for children. Even the Danish report so many people like to refer to masks to help prevent the spread from those people who are infected by COVID - regardless of their symptoms.
To be sure - I went to the following sources - Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Without exception or even a hint of ambiguity - they all make it clear - vaccines help - masks help. Yet - I'm supposed to listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene. Really? I'd rather look to the banjo player in Deliverance than follow her lead or that of Jim Jordan, Rand Paul, Matt Gaetz, Mike Lindell, Tucker Carlson or the rest of the King Donald cult of worshippers.
I hope and pray we come to our collective senses and stop listening to the talking heads who will say anything just to get an atta-boy from King Donald and start listening to the doctors, scientist and the hospitals treating this horrible virus.
George Parker
* * *
Ms. Wilson,
The major problem with your argument is that there is no definitive medical evidence that masks work. In a recent review of 17 studies, not one of the studies established a conclusive relationship between mask/respirator use and protection against influenza infection. We do however, have definitive research that proves that hardhats, seat belts and safety goggles actually work.
In one of Dr. Fauci's own emails he said, “The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material.” So you see, Ms. Wilson, logical, reasonable people are willing to comply with logical rules, but when there is so much contrary evidence and flip-flopping from our "leaders", there is plenty of reason for people to doubt the true reason behind forcing our children to not be able to breathe fresh air.
Most Americans, at this point, have very little faith in what the CDC "guidelines" are at the moment. It will most likely change tomorrow. Remember how you vaxed folks were "protected"... yeah, that one didn't age well. Remember what Joe Biden said? "Vaxed or Masked" that one didn't age well. Now even the vaxed have to wear a mask. So what is it, really Uncle Joe? If the vax is working, then why do you need to wear a mask? Was that just another "carrot"? So. Much. Confusion.
There are also many known dangers to wearing face masks. Besides the psychology trauma of mask wearing that has been proven in young children. Last year a group of Gainesville, Fl. parents sent their children's masks to a laboratory and found many dangerous pathogens growing inside the masks just after five hours. The analysis detected the following 11 alarmingly dangerous pathogens on the masks: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumonia), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis), Neisseria meningitidis (meningitis, sepsis, Acanthamoeba polyphaga (keratitis and granulomatous amebic encephalitis), Acinetobacter baumanni (pneumonia, blood stream infections, meningitis, UTIs— resistant to antibiotics), Escherichia coli (food poisoning), Borrelia burgdorferi (causes Lyme disease),Corynebacterium diphtheriae (diphtheria), Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires' disease), Staphylococcus pyogenes serotype M3 (severe infections—high morbidity rates), and Staphylococcus aureus (meningitis, sepsis). Guess what they didn't find on the masks? That's right, SARS COVID-19.
So the fact that you are willing to put young children at risk of these deadly pathogens just proves that it is political with you "COVID Karens." For these kids, they are literally wearing a petri dish of death on their faces.
You and others like you do not have the legal authority to require children or anyone to go all day wearing something that is neither safe nor effective. The problem isn't that we "ignorant anti-maskers" want to infect everyone just because we don't want the inconvenience of not breathing. It's that there is zero definitive evidence that a cloth mask can stop a viral particle. We ignorant anti-maskers seem to be the only ones willing to "follow the science." The masks are merely a psychological "crutch" and are designed to give the wearer a sense of security.
Children have incredible immune systems and actually confer immunity to adults. Children should not be viewed as "sick virus carriers." The healthy people in our society should not be punished for being healthy, which is exactly what lockdowns, distancing, mask mandates, etc. do. I applaud communities across this country who are standing up for our children and not treating them like infectious disease carriers.
Susan Edmondson