Dear Dr. Evelyn, Dr. Chiachiere, Vice President Oliveri and Board Trustees

Our community is standing together and requesting all mask mandates be lifted in the Valley Stream 13 School District. Based on the science and legality, we, the parents of our district, which includes Willow Road Elementary, James A. Dever Elementary, Howell Road Elementary and Wheeler Ave Elementary, have the right to choose what is best for our children. Masks are ineffective for the purpose claimed by any mandate, potentially harmful, and only authorized for use by an EUA.

Masks are ineffective and in many ways they harm.

It’s a myth that masks prevent viruses from spreading. The overall evidence is clear: Standard cloth and surgical masks offer next to no protection against virus-sized particles or small aerosols. The size of a virus particle is much too small to be stopped by a surgical mask or cloth mask. Wearing a mask to prevent catching SARS-CoV-2, or similarly sized influenza, is like throwing sand at a chain-link fence: it doesn’t work. These are not opinions but FACTS proven by STUDIES!

A mandatory mask in schools is also a major threat to a child’s development. It ignores the essential needs of a growing child. The well-being of children and young people is highly dependent on the emotional connection with others. Masks create a threatening and unsafe environment, where emotional connection becomes difficult.

Informed consent is required for investigational medical therapies.

Regardless of the lack of safety and efficacy behind the decision to require a child to wear a mask, it is illegal to mandate EUA approved investigational medical therapies without informed consent. Mask use for viral transmission prevention is authorized for Emergency Use only. Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, means “the products are investigational and experimental” only. The statute granting the FDA the power to authorize a medical product of emergency use requires that the person being administered the unapproved product be advised of his or her right to refuse administration of the product. This statute further recognizes the well-settled doctrine that medical experiments, or “clinical research,” may not be performed on human subjects without the express, informed consent of the individual receiving treatment.

Furthermore, by requiring children to wear a mask, you are promoting the idea that the mask can prevent or treat a disease, which is an illegal deceptive practice. It is unlawful to advertise that a product or service can prevent disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence substantiating that the claims are true.

There are no efficacy standards on child-sized masks and respirators under OSHA, but there are proven microbial challenges as well as breathing difficulties that are created and exacerbated by masking children. Requiring children to wear a mask sets the stage for contracting any infection, including COVID-19, and making the consequences of that infection much graver. In essence, a mask may very well put children at an increased risk of infection, and if so, having a far worse outcome.

The fact that mask wearing presents a severe risk of harm to the wearer should alone, be enough to not mandate masks. Since these children are not ill and have done nothing wrong that would warrant an infringement of their constitutional rights and bodily autonomy, mandating use of a non-FDA approved, Emergency Use Authorized mask, is unwarranted and illegal.