On 8/13/2021 my wife and I attempted to take our daughter to Baldwin Elementary to meet her second-grade teacher. We were stopped by masked teachers at the front door and informed that unless our daughter masked she would not be able to attend school. We were caught off guard by this. Early that day my wife had sent emails to both the principle and the AISD superintendent’s office (and called) asking specifically if we would be denied entry since we would not be masking our daughter in school, per Governor Abbott’s GA-38 order. We figured bad news via email is a little less bad than bad news right to my daughters excited face. But instead of replying to her reasonable query, we were met with silence. The teachers at the door had been told about us and were expecting us but administration officials could not take the time to respond to my wife. In front of my daughter, a teacher told my wife, if our daughter did not put on a mask she would not be able to attend school. How easy would that have been to avoid with a simple email or phone call?

On July 26th the AISD held a meeting which began with no less than 33 public comments of which the clear majority, 20 calls, were concerned voices imploring the board to respect parental authority and to NOT enact a mask mandate. Those calls ran for 45 minutes and then were cut off. After parents comments were stopped trustee Arati Singh asked: “Does the district check to see if people claiming to be AISD parents actually are AISD parents?” Superintendent Elizaldes replied saying she would request a review.  A short time after on August 9th AISD held a "special session" in which a MIRACULOUS stream of 100% PRO-MANDATE messages played for over an hour!... not one voice of disagreement! How is this possible? Democracy dies in the dark.

We know there is a large majority of parents that are NOT OK with forcing children to wear a mask all day. They are not ok with the physical toll. They are not ok with the psychological toll. They are not ok with the divisions being sewn amongst us and certainly aren’t ok with the sort of disdain, enmity, fear, and division being placed into our children’s minds. They are NOT ok with this in large part because of what the data shows about covid’s impact on the overwhelming majority of young children. AISD is taking an unhealthy position not only on the moment but also training the endlessly mandated citizens of the future.

The mask mandate isn't clearly backed by science. For parents who don't want their child in a mask all day it leads to a punitive form of social segregation which is extremely dangerous. Many children have been forced into social isolation and are being denied education. The popular sentiment being expressed by the State Government of Texas reflects the core of the culture of Texas: protection of individual liberty and agency. The state of Texas is aligned with the core principle of the primacy of States rights. The anti-mandate position of the State IS the most local form of decision making there is. The bureaucrats of Austin favor the approach of the Federal Government: mandate without any consideration of your rights. Sign this petition and send a strong message to Superintendent Elizaldes and Mayor Adler: END THE SCHOOL MASK MANDATE NOW.