Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, has respectfully requested and ultimately announced  a mask mandate for all students in Leon County Schools. 

The Superintendent and Board Member’s salaries have been threatened to be withheld if masks are mandated this upcoming school year.  As a parent of a child in this community not old enough to vaccinate, I am appalled that it is even up for debate that kids wear masks this year in the midst of a pandemic that is on the rise..again! All children are returning to school Wednesday 8/11, reducing the amount of classroom space and the ability for them to social distance properly in the classroom.  This is not a political topic but one of public health and the decision as to what’s best for OUR children should be left to the school officials WE elected to head our school system in Leon County.  

We want our children to return to school by all means, but safely.  There is nothing detrimental about our kids need to protect themselves and others from a virus that threatens and ends innocent lives.  As of 8/4/2021 the number of COVID hospitalizations in Leon County was at its highest number EVER and this number includes children! Even one child is too many as it could be any of our kids and all of them are important and loved! It’s very irresponsible to not at least try to protect these kids in any way we can.  Our children look to us to make the best decisions for them.  Parents can have the right to choose-as I want the right to choose what’s best for my child, but I would not expect my child to sit in close contact with a classmate for extended times who is unmasked and a parent could  make accommodation requests to ensure masked/unmasked children are not in close contact.  Why do this? When the solution to avoid creating  division is to support the  LCS Superintendent’s decision.

Making  a comprehensive mask mandate is  necessary to keep all students, teachers and staff safe. I strongly recommend following guidelines of the Florida Surgeon General versus politicians who are not well versed it seems in matters of public health.  

We must try any measures possible to not allow this pandemic to reach our children in the place they will soon be spending countless hours-at school.  

If our children are not protected and become ill parents will be forced to quarantine and miss time from work/not to mention the health risk it poses to our families.  Let’s vow to do our best to protect the health of our community, prevent disruptions to our children’s education, and support our working families who need to continue working! Let’s all wear masks!