Dear Dr. Snow and Grain Valley Board of Education members, 

        Based on the high rates of community transmission in the Kansas City area, current guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we are petitioning the Grain Valley School District to implement a mask mandate for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to Grain Valley School District facilities.

       The Kansas City area is facing uncontrolled spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19. High case numbers, low vaccination rates, and the lack of vaccine approval for children under 12 places all Grain Valley students and staff at risk from this highly contagious and dangerous variant of the virus. Both CDC and the AAP recommend universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools. Not only will universal masking provide an important layer of protection for students and staff against Covid-19, it also maintains the goal of stability and high achievement by allowing the maximum number of educational minutes for all students by avoiding large-scale quarantines and potentially even school closures.

      Our children and our community remain at risk due to the continued spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant in our area. We are asking the Grain Valley School District to follow the expert advice of the CDC and AAP by heeding the warnings from local hospital officials of the risk to our children and follow their guidance of best way to protect them while meeting their educational needs.