We, the undersigned residents, students, teachers, parents, grandparents, caregivers, and concerned citizens of New York urge state leaders to end the school mask mandate on January 3rd, 2022, making masking optional for all students, teachers, and staff regardless of vaccination status.
Furthermore, local districts should not have the authority to require masking for its students, teachers, or staff. Given clear learning and educational impacts of prolonged masking, state leaders must hold schools accountable for continuing restrictions that disrupt student learning.
A mask-optional approach allows students the ability to see emotions, hear language, and experience connection in an unrestricted learning environment. The past 21 months have shown that, in the absence of state accountability, local districts (school committees, superintendents, boards of health, etc.) will default to more restrictive protocols, not based in evidence and above and beyond state public health guidelines.
Students need an educational environment in which they can recover from the ongoing isolation, stress, and disruption over the last 21 months. A mask optional environment, regardless of vaccination status, will allow this recovery to begin.
Updates
December 21, 2021
The emails I receive from parents every day are exhausting because the strain on these kids is so clear. I am tired of waiting for officials to acknowledge the reality of the classroom, but I refuse to let this fade away while our students are still struggling.
December 21, 2021
Seeing the momentum behind this push is heavy because it reflects how much everyone is struggling with the current rules. I am exhausted by this fight but knowing I am not alone in this demand keeps me moving forward.
Reached 100 supporters
December 21, 2021
33 Comments
Mandating children, teenagers, and their teachers to wear masks for months or years is not humane. Moreover, kids need a constant exposure to everyday germs to keep their immune systems healthy.
As Joseph Allen said, “to think that two years of masking has no impact on socialization, learning and anxiety is shortsighted. Kids are resilient but not endlessly resilient.”
Enough is enough. The young people in this country are at a 0 statistical chance of death from covid. And it's not their responsibility to protect grandma. It's all of our responsibility to protect them.
Children’s psychosocial development has been impeded long enough. They do not need to wear a mask at school all day long for a disease that has a 99.9% survival rate for children. End this now. We will be seeing long lasting deficits in children’s development because of this.
People who want it can still wear. Risk of severe COVID morbidity in small children is minimal; risk of transmission outdoors is close to zero. Masks don’t work in prolonged exposure. On the other hand kids need to see faces and smiles to grow up happy and well adjusted
they’ve been lying about masks for two years
School masking policies have no basis in science but hurt children in many different ways. This must end.
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We, the undersigned residents, students, teachers, parents, grandparents, caregivers, and concerned citizens of New York urge state leaders to end the school mask mandate on January 3rd, 2022, making masking optional for all students, teachers, and staff regardless of vaccination status.
Furthermore, local districts should not have the authority to require masking for its students, teachers, or staff. Given clear learning and educational impacts of prolonged masking, state leaders must hold schools accountable for continuing restrictions that disrupt student learning.
A mask-optional approach allows students the ability to see emotions, hear language, and experience connection in an unrestricted learning environment. The past 21 months have shown that, in the absence of state accountability, local districts (school committees, superintendents, boards of health, etc.) will default to more restrictive protocols, not based in evidence and above and beyond state public health guidelines.
Students need an educational environment in which they can recover from the ongoing isolation, stress, and disruption over the last 21 months. A mask optional environment, regardless of vaccination status, will allow this recovery to begin.
Updates
December 21, 2021
The emails I receive from parents every day are exhausting because the strain on these kids is so clear. I am tired of waiting for officials to acknowledge the reality of the classroom, but I refuse to let this fade away while our students are still struggling.
December 21, 2021
Seeing the momentum behind this push is heavy because it reflects how much everyone is struggling with the current rules. I am exhausted by this fight but knowing I am not alone in this demand keeps me moving forward.
Reached 100 supporters
December 21, 2021
33 Comments
Masks don’t prevent viral spread and are detrimental to learning and mental health. They also contribute to teacher burnout
Mandating children, teenagers, and their teachers to wear masks for months or years is not humane. Moreover, kids need a constant exposure to everyday germs to keep their immune systems healthy.
As Joseph Allen said, “to think that two years of masking has no impact on socialization, learning and anxiety is shortsighted. Kids are resilient but not endlessly resilient.”
Enough is enough. The young people in this country are at a 0 statistical chance of death from covid. And it's not their responsibility to protect grandma. It's all of our responsibility to protect them.
Children’s psychosocial development has been impeded long enough. They do not need to wear a mask at school all day long for a disease that has a 99.9% survival rate for children. End this now. We will be seeing long lasting deficits in children’s development because of this.
People who want it can still wear. Risk of severe COVID morbidity in small children is minimal; risk of transmission outdoors is close to zero. Masks don’t work in prolonged exposure. On the other hand kids need to see faces and smiles to grow up happy and well adjusted
they’ve been lying about masks for two years
School masking policies have no basis in science but hurt children in many different ways. This must end.
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Masks don’t prevent viral spread and are detrimental to learning and mental health. They also contribute to teacher burnout