Masks unquestionably protect our students

My voice and many other parents’ questioning voices have not been heard concerning the Lake Pend Oreille School Board’s 3-2 decision to remove the district's mask requirement in Bonner County schools following spring break. Instead, wearing masks will be optional. That’s one single vote that removes protection from our kids from contracting or asymptomatically spreading COVID-19.

I realize schools have low numbers of COVID-19 spread but maybe that’s because our students have been wearing masks. The safest and smartest decision would be to see through our kids’ protection to the end of the school year. Maybe you, too, agree that it’s a dangerous and irresponsible choice by our school board to do away with this requirement, especially after spring break, when many students and staff, despite recent vaccinations, have possibly been exposed to COVID-19 or its much more communicable variants due to family gatherings and air travel, even out of the country. Of course masking somewhat inhibits teaching and we all have COVID fatigue but our kids are used to keeping with the program of protecting themselves and everyone else. What’s another 2-plus months?

Please call our school board members and voice your disapproval. If we’d realized this was on the last LPOSD school board’s agenda, we would have rallied more parents to attend and make their voices heard. Maybe we can still turn this around!  Voice your protection for our kids!  And many thanks to Geraldine Lewis and Gary Suppiger for your educated votes to uphold mask requirements in our schools.

LISA CIRAC

Sandpoint