As parents of children at Beth Torah, we love the school, and are proud to send our children there. And we believe that through the last two years, the school – like many others - has performed to the best of their ability balancing information, medical advice and other considerations.

As parents, however, we have been waiting patiently for changes to policy which we believe are best for our children, and not only hasn’t the school changed, in many cases it has regressed and become more restrictive.

We collectively agree that the mask mandates on children must be changed immediately at the school, both indoors and outdoors, and make it optional for children to wear masks. We have come together in a sense of urgency and ask that the rules be changed immediately.

While the goal of this petition is not to list all of the reasons behind this ask, we will summarize:

Legal: The State of Florida is seen by many of us parents as a place that empowers parents – not school or administrators – to make the most appropriate decisions for their children. These have been reflected in numerous Executive Orders. For instance, the State of Florida has already lifted mask mandate fines via an Executive Order from the Governor, meaning no one in Florida may be fined for not wearing a mask.  Beth Torah is ignoring the Governor's orders and forcing children to wear masks regardless of their overall well being. 

Medical: A blanket policy of masking children is ineffective.  Worse yet, such a policy can cause tremendous psychological harm along with negative physical health consequences.  Wearing masks all day have been shown to cause inhalation of dirt along with bacteria and other germs.  Many medical surveys and research reports have shown negative psychological effects to wearing masks, as well as impact both in learning and in socializing. Additionally, children are not impacted from the virus in the same way as adults (thank G-d).

These facts – legal, medical, and parental choice over their own children - have not changed during the Omicron spike (or other spikes).

The undersigned parents petition Beth Torah to lift its mandatory mask for kids policy and instead implement a policy that makes the wearing of masks optional in indoor and outdoor settings.  This is a decision that should be made by the parents, not by officers or administrators of the school, nor by any committee appointed by the school.  Our children and their parents should be free to choose what is best for them, not a one size fits all blanket policy.