As parents of children in D39 schools, we call on Superintendent Cremascoli and the Board to follow the science and make masks optional in our schools going forward.
As one expert stated recently:
“[T}he world has changed, there are real downsides to masking children for this long, with no known end date, and without any clear upside.”
“Even with a new variant, the onus is on those who recommend masking kids to robustly demonstrate a meaningful benefit, especially when the pre-Delta study of the Georgia schools did not find one, and when there are obvious socio-emotional and educational harms from masking children for this unprecedented duration of time.”
—Elissa Schechter-Perkins, the director of Emergency Medicine Infectious Disease Management at Boston Medical Center
Emergency mask mandates were initiated in 2020 prior to the availability of vaccines to slow the spread of COVID 19 and avoid overwhelming hospitals in our communities.
The science and latest data show that the public health pandemic emergency has ended. While still a serious disease for older people and those with multiple underlying conditions, we are now entering the endemic phase. Local hospitals are not overwhelmed. Cases are declining rapidly. The Omicron variant is more contagious but has been shown to be significantly less pathogenic than the original Alpha and Delta variants.
From the start of the pandemic, D39 has worked hard to give parents choices: From remote learning, to hybrid plans and most recently, in-person learning. It’s now time for D39 to pivot and give parents a choice as to whether their children wear masks at school.
Here are some key facts to consider:
Teachers and staff are safe at school
98% of D39 staff have been vaccinated. As one infectious disease expert from Harvard Medical School stated “Our most effective way of protecting everyone, students and school staff alike, is by vaccinating the adults around them.” Mission accomplished.
Children are also safe at school
Roughly 80% of WJHS students and 60% of primary/middle schools have submitted proof of vaccination.
Unreported but robust natural immunity among D39 children (those exposed to the virus who were not vaccinated) could push immunity percentages even higher.
The risk of serious illness to children without significant underlying health conditions is nearly zero. Per the CDC, the latest COVID fatality percentage for children from age 5 to 17, is 0.0%.
Currently, per the IDPH, children 5-17 with COVID 19 make up less than 2% of all ED visits
The benefits of universal masking are unclear
Though the CDC recommends masking in schools, the studies and data around the efficacy of school masking are unclear at best— and in worst cases, severely flawed.
We must weigh the harms of the masking policy on our children
Masking children is not a harmless policy. Masks can significantly impact speech and social development and even a child’s ability to learn.
To be clear, we are not calling for a mask ban in our schools. Rather, we urge D39 to allow all parents to make their own choices—and call for acceptance for all, regardless of their choice.
If we’re going to indeed “follow the science," then we have to challenge preconceived notions, be curious and humble, admit when new or inconclusive data can demand that we change course, and evolve our policies accordingly.
Most importantly, we must do what’s right for our kids.
And giving them a choice is the right—and safe—thing to do.
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Email Dr. Cremascoli (cremasck@wilmette39.org) and the Board (board@wilmette39.org) to share your support of putting a stop to universal masking in D39 schools.
Forward this email to your friends and neighbors to invite them to join the movement.