To the Editor:
I was at the school board meeting on Sept. 17 and spoke. Yet my pro-mask comments were not reported in the meeting’s article by Frances Ruth Harris.
I asked about the plan the board had for keeping our children safe. The response was to read the website, which I did and was disappointed. The “plan” on the website is a broad outline of what to do with virtually no details on the implementation and monitoring.
I realized after the meeting, that the more important question is: What was the underlying philosophy for controlling Covid spread in the community? This should have been used to define any plan. The answer would have been: mask up, vaccinate, socially distance and keep hands clean, as all the world scientists agree. People at the meeting were wearing T-shirts that said: No Mask, No Contract Tracing, No Vaccination, No Fear. This implies: Do nothing. That is, allow the virus to run rampant. This is totally unacceptable as thousands more will die with this philosophy. But apparently the board agrees with this as most of them are anti-masking and need to be voted out this November.
Masking is not personal choice/freedom, it is a public health choice and demonstrates one is being a good community citizen, just as mandating vaccines for polio, small pox and so many more are a public health safety measure. Is the board going to recommend removing these other time proven mandates, once the Pfizer vaccine is FDA approved for 5-11 year-olds? Absurd.
Note that some people are against President Biden’s mandate for testing (or get vaccinated) in business saying we have never done this before. But it wasn’t needed as everyone has already been vaccinated when they went to school. This is how we keep our country safe. Any opposition is emotional, not a logical.
Karen L. Cohen
Milford