See Parents Protest To Keep Kids Masked In Schools
Parents rallied on courthouse steps to voice their opposition to New York Public Schools ending their mask mandate.
As parents continue their efforts to get mask mandates dropped in public schools, there are still those who feel the safest way for schools to continue teaching in-person is to keep kids masked. To make their point perfectly clear, a group of parents and educators gathered on the Tweed Courthouse steps to voice their opposition. They even did it with a jingle they wrote.
The protest, or in their words a “rally”, was organized by the Parents for Responsive, Equitable, Safe Schools (PRESS) that brought together a handful of people in hopes that their voice would be heard. The Tweed Courthouse is also the headquarters of the New York City Department of Education. The group of parents and educators chanted and sang catchy tunes, all centered around why the mask mandates should remain in schools to keep kids masked.
PRESS was hoping for a massive turnout, but as you can see in the video, there were 14 adults on the steps singing their protest, two of which decided to carry on their own conversation as the others were hitting the high notes. Part of the keep kids masked rally’s lyrics included, “Just because we’re tired doesn’t mean it’s over. Mandate masks, that’s our ask.” If the tune of the song sounds familiar, it should. The song was sung to the tune of the old nursery rhyme, Frère Jacques, aka Brother John. The point they were making, in their estimation, was a solid one. The pandemic isn’t over and the safest way to combat it in schools is to keep kids masked. Their feeling is that lifting the mask mandate at this particular time would be premature and that it will put children at major risk for reinfection.
“We already saw that Omicron took no prisoner, even vaccinated, boosted individuals suffered from COVID. We’re concerned about reinfections will affect our communities, we’re concerned about our Black, Latino, and immigrant communities, who haven’t had access to the vaccine,” said Kaliris Salas, PRESS NYC committee member, to News 12. The concern is ramped up even more so now since, according to New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, the mask mandate in New York schools will be lifted on Monday, March 7. The final decision for the removal of the kid’s masked mandate is expected to come Friday by New York Mayor Eric Adams.
Keeping kids masked in schools has been a major sore spot for parents for a while now. There has been evidence to show that masking has done more harm than good for children and the logic behind it has always been in question. Here is one situation many turn to when considering what to think about kids being masked in classrooms. You are going out to eat at your favorite restaurant. To enter, you must wear a mask until you get to your table. Once at your table, though, you can drop your mask and carry on with your dinner date. So, it’s okay to walk into a restaurant masked, then sit down and unmask for the entirety of your meal, with others in the same restaurant unmasked, but kids can’t sit in their classrooms unmasked. Many people question the logic when comparing the situation.
This is just one example of why parents who wish to drop kids being masked in schools tossed out their face coverings. Making valid points, and early on, the ideology had fallen on what some believe to be deaf ears. But now, more and more parents are voicing their opinion, as are lawmakers, and the mask mandates are starting to drop around the country.
PRESS continues to urge their pro-mask stance, which is well within their rights. It should be noted, though, that one of the state guidelines in dropping the kid’s masked mandate is that any individual or family can still remain masked if they feel it is the best decision for them or their children. This will also include teachers in the classroom if they feel that is their safest choice. Most see that as a win-win.
