Some School Districts Still Forcing Children to Mask Up: ‘I Hope the Public Will Understand’

Some school districts across the country are continuing to force children to mask up, even as states lift their remaining statewide mask mandates.

On Thursday, Northampton, Massachusetts, school board members voted 6-1 to force children to continue to muzzle their faces in school settings.

“I hope the public will understand . . . for now,” the School Committee vice chair Gwen Agna said after the vote. Committee member Michael Stein also voted for the measure, describing it as “one of the few remaining mitigation strategies” against the Chinese coronavirus. Notably, the level of transmission in Northampton is “low.”

The vote comes despite the fact the Board of Health voted to end the mask mandate March 10. Further, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) lifted the state-sanctioned school mask mandate on February 28, leaving the decision in the hands of local bureaucrats, some of whom remain determined to continue to mask up children.

Meanwhile, across the country, children who are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District are dealing with the same issue, as masks are still required, prompting protest from parents this week. 

As ABC 7 reported:

Chanting and holding signs with slogans such as “Stop child abuse,” “My kid my choice” and “Take masks off now,” the parents cast blame on United Teachers Los Angeles for forcing the district to continue requiring masks indoors.

“Every other school district has managed to take the masks off. They put the kids first,” parent Danna Rosenthal said at the demonstration. “The kids are put last here. They’re not thinking about the kids, they’re just only thinking about power and how they can hold onto it.”

The union’s labor contract for this semester requires COVID safety measures, including masks, and lifting the requirement is subject to union negotiations.

Similarly, some students across the state of Rhode Island are still being subjected to forced masking. 

Recent polls suggest that Americans are ditching masks, wearing them less frequently or not at all. Yet, bureaucrats are still maintaining a grip on their power, forcing some children to continue to mask up while also extending the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) mandate yet again.