We are submitting this petition today for the many families who have the same values, beliefs and concerns for their children in the Jasper City Schools.  

We are respectfully asking that JCS remove the mask mandate immediately and allow the parents to decide whether or not their child needs to wear a mask at school (e.g., Albertville City, Walker Co. and Vestavia Hills).  Those that feel a mask is needed, would of course have the ability to do so.  We are just asking that it be made optional.  

It is our shared belief that forcing masks on our children, covering their nose and mouth, harms them in the following ways: 1-Restricts their airway  2-Creates anxiety  3-Prohibits normal social interaction  4-Creates long term negative psychological consequences  5- Impairs normal speech and social development in younger children  6-Creates a barrier for learning.  

We've all seen the damaging consequences this past year has had on our children. Moving children 6 feet apart, eating lunch in their classroom, no social interaction, and even social interaction being discouraged.  Children have been made to feel as if they are "super spreaders", when in actuality, the opposite has been shown to be true. 

We are asking that you take into consideration the voices of your stakeholders and reconsider the mask mandate and make masks optional for the 2021-2022 school year.  We thank you for taking this issue into consideration to allow masking to be a personal choice.