The Examiner U-46 News FeedConflict unmasked at Dist. U-46 board meeting By Seth Hancock
“The masks make it a little hard to breath. Also, you are breathing a little bit of germs,” said Anne Nelson, a School District U-46 second grader. She added: “It makes me nervous and sad. We live in America, and it is our right to choose for ourselves”
That summed up the message from a large group of parents who attended the Monday, July 19 Board of Education Meeting as they argued for bodily autonomy and informed consent regarding mask and vaccine mandates.
Superintendent Tony Sanders left the board room and did not hear Nelson’s message, nor did he hear former board member and mother of two district students Jeanette Ward who noted the government’s own data showing children are at far greater risk to the flu than COVID-19.
However, the board nearly didn’t hear any of the 26 public comments made opposing mask mandates as the district had locked its doors forcing anyone who wants to come in to comply with its dictates. Parents chanted “let us in” and “let us breath” as the district kept them out if they didn’t wear a mask, but the crowd eventually capitulated to get in.
Beyond those who spoke, many more were there with two overflow rooms of parents as the district did not accommodate requests made the previous week to move the meeting to a larger venue so everyone could be together. Several Spanish speaking parents were relegated to the end of the meeting and the district’s translator had already gone home.
Kori Duncan, a parent, called it “a feeble attempt to divide us or make it appear that way, and an intimidation tactic for those that have the courage to speak.”
Sanders said masks will be mandated for elementary students in 2021-2022 and all students on buses and “encouraged” but not required at the secondary level, but that’s “contingent” on what the state tells them to do. Although not required yet as the vaccines are experimental, district officials expressed that they would require it if they could once it receives full approval.
Andrew Bucaro, a father, said “this is the deadliest vaccine ever made” citing the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), maintained by the Centers for Disease Control, which show 10,991 deaths from the COVID-19 shots through July 9 compared to the 6,145 total deaths for all vaccines combined since 1990, when VAERS was created.
Three speakers, two via zoom, supported mandating masks and the vaccine including Lincoln Marunde who said there are “countless studies” showing the efficacy of masks and vaccines, and “I don’t know what data these people are citing.” Marunde did not cite any studies while those opposed to the mandates consistently did.
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