Keep Universal Masking in Place at SFUSD Until the End of School Year.

Universal Masking Works.
Immunocompromised/Disabled and all San Francisco communities have the right to access safe and inclusive public schools.
The CDC/SFDPH are strongly recommending masks in schools based on the current data and guidelines.
The students, families, staff and community members signing this petition have serious concerns about SFUSD’s new “choice” masking guidance. It is inequitable, stigmatizing, and it is bad public health policy that will lead to avoidable COVID exposure and infections. It puts an undue burden on immunocompromised and disabled school children, their caregivers, and the school site staff. It creates a higher risk for not only immunocompromised and disabled staff, but those who are caregivers of young, unvaccinated children or elders at home. The mask “choice” guidance is not sound public health policy and counters current CDC recommendations.****. 

Students, special education staff, families with children with disabilities, and at-risk parents NEED their voices heard. SFUSD has failed to include its disabled community members when deciding how to best protect and accommodate those most at risk. 

Our Concerns and Observations:

–Vaccination rates of SFUSD students are unknown. PreK students are ineligible for vaccinations.

–There is a complete lack of "robust” ventilation systems in most SFUSD schools.

–Universal Masking reduces the amount of COVID in the air.* There is a lack of data related to when only a susceptible person wears a mask (known as “one-way masking”) that infection can be prevented. The little data that is known, is reliant on a mask fitting perfectly. ** High infection risks are expected when only the “susceptible” wears a face mask, even with social distancing.*** 

–SFUSD serves a greater number of disabled children than most private schools. Schools don't know the number of their immunocompromised students or staff, as many did not require accommodations before unmasking. Nor do they know of the status of their household members.

–Rates of asthma, diabetes, kidney disease, and allergies are statistically higher in some populations due to poverty and systemic racism. It is not just the immunocompromised that are vulnerable to COVID complications and death.

--The social pressure on the children who are masking would be exclusionary. ​​Universal masking avoids stigmatizing children with high-risk conditions or those trying to protect their family or other household members.*

Has SFUSD considered the following if “choice” masking is implemented?: 

–How does a school make sure any child that should be masked, remains masked, when so many will not, especially at recess or large group activities? 

–Does SFUSD intend to take on the liability of a medically fragile child in the school building?

–What happens when a medically fragile child is in an unventilated class where the other students refuse to mask? 

–Will accommodations for children with IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) need to be amended, or new 504s (Civil Rights Law) created to ensure that students are safe? This is an undue burden on school sites, and families.

–Will SFUSD be collecting data on which students move to online school? What happens if it is shown to be disproportionate in race or disability? Can SFUSD provide FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) when even more students move to online?