Dear New York State Department of Health, 

Parents throughout New York have sent a profound and clear message we want our children to return to normalcy. New Yorkers are currently in the dark as to what data the Department of Health is relying on in imposing and extending the mask mandate and what metrics have been identified that will allow the lifting of the mask mandate to our children in NY schools. 

The Atlantic recently published an article “The Case Against Masks at School” 

World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend against masking children ages 5 and younger, because this age group is at low risk of illness, because masks are not “in the overall interest of the child,” and because many children are unable to wear masks properly. Even for children ages 6 to 11, the WHO does not routinely recommend masks, because of the “potential impact of wearing a mask on learning and psychosocial development.” The WHO also explicitly counsels against masking children during physical activities, including running and jumping at the playground, so as not to compromise breathing.

We would like NYS DOH to address the specific and current metrics that are used to justify such a drastic difference in mask recommendations opposed to the World Health Organization.  Our young kids are doing physical education classes in masks and are unable to see their peers smile.  

We ask the department to act swiftly and rectify the unconscionable damage done to our youth by allowing parents the decision to mask their children or not. 

We look forward to a prompt reply.  

Thank you, 

Parents of New York State Children