STUDENTS OF CARMEL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL:
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Throughout this pandemic, students and children have been cast aside. They have been cast aside for the safety of adults. Knowing full well now the increasing mental health crisis amongst kids. According to NPR, "Overall, the data shows that in 2020, the percentage of emergency department visits for mental health emergencies rose by 24% for children between the ages of 5 and 11 and 31% for those 12 to 17, compared with 2019." Carmel and all high schools know full well about this problem, yet are choosing to ignore any opportunity to help make it better.

With total respect for the administrators of Carmel Catholic High School, we want change, on Page 28, footnote 40 of the Temporary Restraining Order(TRO), Carmel Catholic High School is no longer legally bound by the IDPH or ISBE rules as they are declared void. Carmel Catholic High School is within its full legal right to get rid of the school mask requirement. With the TRO in place on the rules and the rules declared void during the restraining order, Carmel not only has the legal right to, but the responsibility to, remove the mask mandate on students knowing the mental health ramifications that students have endured during the pandemic.

With the utmost respect towards the administrator of Carmel Catholic Highschool, the students of Carmel Catholic High school would like to ask that for the remainder of the week, and as long as the TRO is still in place, Carmel Catholic Highschool implements a mask optional policy from this point forward. Not only is this a decision that will greatly benefit the mental health of students, but it is a decision that is supported by science. With Covid-19 having a CFR of 0.25 amongst all age groups and posing little to no risk to students, it only makes sense that mask requirements be lifted from students swiftly and immediately.

Understanding that starting next week Carmel will be mask optional, we ask that that be expedited as they have no legal requirement to still be masked.