We are members of the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork (WSRF) community who are concerned about the renewed push to require children to wear face masks for another year.

For the last one and a half years, children’s lives and their education have been disrupted to an unprecedented extent. We believe this has gone far enough, and at this point masks should be optional.

On July 1, the State of Colorado lifted the mask mandate in schools, and on July 8 the Governor rescinded all statewide health emergency orders. Each school in Colorado may now set its own mask policy. Some local school districts and a number of other schools across the State and the Nation are moving to optional masks.

WSRF has not required masks on campus during the summer, and most students, parents, teachers, and staff have been living their lives normally in recent months.

The scientific evidence shows that children are at extremely low risk to the coronavirus. Vaccines are freely available for adults.

With an optional policy, every member of the community can take steps they feel are necessary to protect themselves, and find their own comfort level, in a way that respect’s everyone’s sincerely held beliefs on this sensitive issue. Forcing a one-size-fits all policy on everyone violates the values of freedom, democracy, a holistic approach to education, and diversity.

We understand that the CDC still recommends masks in schools, and that other members of our community may have different feelings on this issue. There are some older and immunocompromised individuals in our community who may be at higher risk, and we fully support all reasonable efforts to keep them safe.

At the same time, we believe that we cannot put this burden on our children’s shoulders any longer. They have sacrificed enough of their education, their normal development, and the simple joys of childhood. We cannot continue to ask—or force—them to sacrifice more. Covering children’s faces for another year would be detrimental to their mental health, their social and emotional development, their language skills, and many of the other values that Waldorf education holds dear.

It's time to move on and let kids be kids.

We ask respectfully but firmly that masks be made optional for the 2021-22 school year starting August 25.

UPDATE: IF YOU SUPPORT THIS PETITION PLEASE CHOOSE OPTION B.