The sole purpose of this petition is to remove the health mandates being placed on our children attending the Gilpin County School District. This includes the mask mandate that is currently in place indoors at the school, as well as the mandatory Covid-19 testing at the school that is being discussed.  An enforced decision on our children's physical health and mental wellness without parent majority and Board of Education consent is unacceptable; especially when there are no other mandates in place in this jurisdiction.  We, as Gilpin County parents will not stand for these mandates any longer.  Health choices MUST be an individual choice among each parent.

Looking at the data and analyzing research, there are many different approaches and tactics that people can take in the fight against Covid-19.  There has not been enough time or data to support that masks and mandatory testing help or hurt the Covid-19 situation, which as parents we must make the best choices for our children.  In no way should any other parent or government official's opinions be able to void another parent's health choice for their child.  Each parent should have the right to free education without mandates and stipulations blocking individual health choices that parents should have the power to make.  As well, our parents and children deserve medical privacy and forcing these mandates will give disabilities more visibility violating those privacy rights.  The best option might be different for each child, which it has been noticed that some children are having social anxiety from wearing a mask and some with social anxiety from not wearing a mask.  Some parents feel the mask can protect and some think it causes more heath complications.  Some think mandatory testing can help with being a preventative, and some think it is causing more risks like cross contamination or encouraging sick children to come to school to be tested.

This petition supports personal parent choice for each individual child and not forcing personal choices on others.  We oppose any school mandate that supersedes state wide and county mandates or non-mandates. We please ask that you immediately remove the current mask mandate directed at the Gilpin County School District.