We are teachers, school employees, other educators, parents and concerned citizens in BC united in opposition to school mask mandates for children and teens. 

We share Dr Bonnie Henry's emphasis on care and safety during this pandemic. It is clear that requiring children to wear masks at school is not a good strategy in protecting vulnerable people: it doesn't work very well and the impacts  are worrying.

We are concerned about how masks worn for 6+ hours each school day are impacting our children's physical health: concerns include microplastic inhalation, toxic carcinogenic chemicals, increased carbon dioxide levels, face rashes, sensory processing issues, and sheer - very real - discomfort; 

as well as our children's social, emotional and cognitive health: concerns include speech and language development, communication, connection with teachers and each other, capacity to fully engage with curricula and to sustain attention in the classroom, and overall learning readiness.

Instead, we urge Dr Henry to pursue targeted protection strategies that protect vulnerable school staff, such as funding work-from-home opportunities for all immunocompromised or otherwise high risk school district employees, and enable families with increased risk - including families living in multigenerational homes - to opt into distance learning programs at this time if desired.