Require masks for unvaccinated at Arlington Heights schools
The Issue
Recently, the Arlington Heights School District 25 School Board voted to make masks optional, regardless of vaccine status. This decision is in direct conflict to the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control who stated: "Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained."
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html
This guidance was affirmed by the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) http://www.dph.illinois.gov/news/illinois-department-public-health-adopts-cdc-covid-19-prevention-school-guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also affirms this guidance by stating "All students older than 2 years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use)."
While the experts at the CDC, IDPH, ISBE, and AAP are clearly indicating that unvaccinated students and staff wear masks, the AHSD 25 School Board, who lacks any education or experience in public health, infectious diseases, and pediatrics, has decided that masks should be optional.
Currently, students younger than 12 cannot be vaccinated. So with this decision, students with no option to be vaccinated will be in close contact with other unvaccinated children. We are also seeing an increase across the country in COVID cases with the fast spreading Delta variant. This decision by the AHSD 25 school board is in conflict with best practices in slowing community spread and a failure to protect our children.
We have all worked together to get where students can safely return to school full-time and we should not risk putting that progress at risk by making masking optional for unvaccinated individuals. AHSD 25 needs to rescind its recent decision and only allow individuals who can prove vaccine status to go unmasked.
The Issue
Recently, the Arlington Heights School District 25 School Board voted to make masks optional, regardless of vaccine status. This decision is in direct conflict to the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control who stated: "Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained."
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html
This guidance was affirmed by the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) http://www.dph.illinois.gov/news/illinois-department-public-health-adopts-cdc-covid-19-prevention-school-guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also affirms this guidance by stating "All students older than 2 years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use)."
While the experts at the CDC, IDPH, ISBE, and AAP are clearly indicating that unvaccinated students and staff wear masks, the AHSD 25 School Board, who lacks any education or experience in public health, infectious diseases, and pediatrics, has decided that masks should be optional.
Currently, students younger than 12 cannot be vaccinated. So with this decision, students with no option to be vaccinated will be in close contact with other unvaccinated children. We are also seeing an increase across the country in COVID cases with the fast spreading Delta variant. This decision by the AHSD 25 school board is in conflict with best practices in slowing community spread and a failure to protect our children.
We have all worked together to get where students can safely return to school full-time and we should not risk putting that progress at risk by making masking optional for unvaccinated individuals. AHSD 25 needs to rescind its recent decision and only allow individuals who can prove vaccine status to go unmasked.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on July 19, 2021