The Great Neck Public School District has kept our children safe throughout this pandemic by employing health and safety protocols recommended by the CDC and AAP, including universal masking, social distancing, and ventilation.

While many school districts have had to close or delay reopening, GNPS has been consistently open since September 2020, because it has maintained a high level of safety standards. This takes energy and diligence and GNPS should be applauded for what they have done.

We all want the pandemic to be over, but the reality is that we are still in it, and the best way to continue to keep our students safe—as well as their family members, grandparents, and our community as a whole—is to continue to employ these safety methods in our public schools.

The ongoing protests against masks by a vocal minority are adding more stress for our children, our teachers, and our community. Abandoning safety protocols such as masks and social distancing would not provide more "freedom." In fact, it would put our schools at risk of having to close down if case numbers rise again.

As parents and community members, we support GNPS’s safety protocols, we thank them for their efforts, and urge the district to continue to follow them as needed.