Public School Mask Mandates
We founded the Parent Association, Inc. in solidarity with parents across the State of California to support the reopening of schools for in-person instruction. We sponsored a successful lawsuit against the State to protect the constitutional rights of all K-12 students and paved the way for expanded reopening and in person instruction for hundreds of thousands of children. Together, we made a huge impact, and there is so much more to do.
Frustrations with government overreach, special interest control over schools, and labyrinthine COVID-19 policies are at a fever pitch. We get it. Parents’ faith in public schools is at an all time low. However, wearing a mask at school is currently a public health mandate enforced by the CDPH through the local county health officials. It is not a choice, and it is not a policy school boards can ignore. It’s a temporary public health policy designed to reduce transmission of the virus and prevent unnecessary school closures.
Although no one loves the mask mandate, a majority of parents are willing to accept the mask mandate for now as an effort to keep schools open.
If we become divided over issues like this, we lose our power to influence school policy and governance on other very important issues.
That’s why the Parent Association, Inc. does not support protests at school sites in favor of mask choice. Advocating for a change in the statewide mask mandate should be directed at state officials and the CDPH, not local school board trustees who cannot responsibly ignore public health directives.
The Parent Association, Inc. is committed to long term effective parent advocacy that puts students first and supports quality education in our public schools. How do we go to the next level and continue to have the kind of influence parents should have over policies that impact students in our public schools? The only way parents have influence is if we stand together. We don’t have to agree 100%, but we must find common ground on sometimes challenging issues like this.
If we want real influence and a true seat at the table, we need to arrive with confidence in the merits of our argument and succeed on the unity of our message, not rogue protests that empower individuals to harass district officials or violate the law.