On Friday, the Marana School Board voted to join districts across the state to implement mask mandates on campuses, but not before getting a lesson on the status of pediatric cases in Arizona and mask efficacy.
Board member, and veteran, Tom Carlson, came prepared for the hastily planned Special Meeting called at the request of Board member Hunter Holt.
In his speech prior to the vote, Carlson raised issues ranging from the equity of mask mandates to the efficacy of surgical masks.
In July, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order, prohibiting universities and community colleges from requiring masks, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, submit COVID-19 vaccination documents or take COVID-19 tests.
House Bill 2898, which goes into effect on September 29, prevents schools from mandating masks for students and staff.
Phoenix Union High School District became the first district to defy the governor and legislators and other schools across the state followed.
The schools claimed they were defying the governor due to the rise in pediatric cases. However, Carlson reminded his fellow board members that Pima County Health Director Dr. Garcia “notified the Pima County supervisors earlier this week that there are four pediatric cases of Sars Coronavirus 2 in the county, and it’s been reported that two of those are actually in people older than 18.”
“So, contrast this with the numerous emails we’ve received claiming that pediatric ICUs are rapidly filling up this makes a great headline or an unchallenged statement in an email, but it simply has no basis in truth,” said Carlson. “Even the Communications Specialist at TMC told the Daily Star recently that they are seeing children coming into the Emergency Room with respiratory illnesses other than Sars Coronavirus 2.”
“Clearly, I’m not going to vote to impose this tyranny on our students,” said Carlson. “I encourage parents to have their children wear masks if they think that that is the right thing to do.”
“When confronted with a choice between liberty and tyranny I will always choose liberty,” concluded Carlson. “I spent 30 years of my life defending this nation against external tyranny never thinking that the real battle would come from within.”
The board voted 3-2 to require the use of masks while indoors on school district properties and buses. The MUSD mandate will expire on Sept. 29 when the statewide ban officially goes into effect.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARLSON COMENTS:
So here we go again, voting on imposing a rule that would cause a massive disruption to the educational process and to the long-term impacts of children’s intellectual growth. A new mass mandate will disrupt not only students but also teachers, administrators, and parents by continuing to support the notion that the government has a role in deciding what’s best for children. My firm belief is that parents should make those decisions for their family. Worse though, is that imposing a mass requirement as a precondition to getting an education is a serious violation of the basic principles of liberty.
Dr. Garcia notified the Pima County supervisors earlier this week that there are four pediatric cases of Sars Coronavirus 2 in the county, and it’s been reported that two of those are actually in people older than 18.
So, contrast this with the numerous emails we’ve received claiming that pediatric ICUs are rapidly filling up this makes a great headline or an unchallenged statement in an email, but it simply has no basis in truth. Even the Communications Specialist at TMC told the Daily Star recently that they are seeing children coming into the Emergency Room with respiratory illnesses other than Sars Coronavirus 2.
The fact that we’re being forced to have this vote today is truly bewildering.
An objective recounting of the history of this virus would cause any curious observer to question the basic assumptions that were used to force our economy into a recession, put people out of work, shutter businesses, and effectively force kids into a lost year of school.
Teachers were turned into mask police, adding more stress and distraction that they did not need, and today we’re voting to do it all over again.
So, let’s talk masks for a minute. I found this graphic here on the CDC’s website. It’s a comparison between the surgical mask and an N95 respirator. Medical professionals will tell you that if you really want to protect against respiratory illnesses then you need to use the N95. That’s because the N95 is tight-fitting and makes a good seal around the face. The material in the n95 filters 95 percent – hence the name – of airborne particles both large and small. The surgical mask however which is the one most people are wearing does not provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection and does not provide respiratory protection. This is verbatim from this CDC chart.
So, are we all aware that N95 respirators are not even designed for children because a proper fit cannot be achieved? So, by requiring kids to wear masks all we’re doing is giving them – if they if they are even aware of what’s going on – and the adults, a false sense of security.
Some of the other things about students in masks. In MUSD, we have more than 1600 students with a speech or hearing disability, that’s fully 13 percent of our current student population some number of those kids actually need to see their teachers’ faces in order to have an effective learning environment. Those students also need to have to hear their teachers’ masks inhibit all of those necessary instructional functions.
Now I heard just learned that that that there’s a consideration for some kind of educational exception. Okay. So, it better be pretty darn clear that that if any child in the district has a learning impairment not an IEP but any kind of learning impairment due to wearing a mask either on that child or on the teacher, then then there should be an exception made.
And what about the students who wear glasses? Many of you saw me last year struggled during board meetings with my masks and my glasses. In fact, I received numerous emails full of vitriol chastising me for lowering my mask below my nose, which I did to prevent my glasses from fogging. As a result, I was accused of not setting an example and other things that aren’t even mentionable in this polite company.
And what about the kids with asthma? Several parents have told me how difficult it is for their kids to breathe while wearing a mask. A yes vote today tells those kids that they’re on their own.
Hunter mentioned equity. Okay one of our five pillars is speech to equity. With 70 percent of communication happening non-verbally imposing a mass requirement inhibits this district’s ability to treat kids equitably and to provide them with an environment that is conducive to learning.
Teacher after teacher have related how poorly kids take care of their masks. They’re kids so they don’t understand why the masks need to be kept clean why they need to be kept off the floor and so on many teachers are grossed out at the condition of those masks.
So, let’s talk about teachers and masks for a moment. I’ve heard from several teachers who experience increased heart rates elevated blood pressure and other physical reactions while wearing a mask for eight hours a day. A vote for masks effectively tells those valuable employees that their employer, MUSD, does not care about their physical well-being while at work.
We’ve all seen photos and videos of elected officials, celebrities, and other big names, yelling at us to wear masks. Yet when the cameras go away so do their masks. Do I need to remind you about Gavin Newsom, or Dr. Fauci, Schwarzenegger, AOC, and even our own Rex Scott and Regina Romero? Masks for thee but not for me.
If those people truly believe that masks work and they were bought into the mask-culture, then they would most certainly set the example and wear their masks all the time. They’re telling us to do the very thing that they won’t do themselves.
The board was flooded with pro-mask petitions yesterday and today, but we were also sent an anti-mass petition that was signed by more than 400 people. The significance of the anti-mask petition is that all signers are MUSD residents as opposed to the other petition where a significant sign number of the signers don’t even live here.
Clearly, I’m not going to vote to impose this tyranny on our students. I encourage parents to have their children wear masks if they think that that is the right thing to do.
When confronted between with a choice between liberty and tyranny I will always choose liberty. I spent 30 years of my life defending this nation against external tyranny never thinking that the real battle would come from within.
So final points, Tanque Verde voted against masks yesterday 4-1. Vail has not indicated that they’re going to even take this up. The Vail cases are declining after they’ve been in class what? Four to six weeks? So why wouldn’t we expect ours cases to follow?
Dr. Streeter told us the other day that because of the way we report our cases are overstated by about 40 percent because we’re reporting cases that are that are contracted outside of the school environment. So, when you when you do that, 40 percent reduction that puts us on par with Amphi.
So, Dr. Streeter, John, and Hunter – you guys have a plan to deal with the outrage your vote is going to create? How do you think the optics of kids being turned away at the campus gate are going to play? There are not enough masks supporters in this district to pass an override or a bond. Think about that
By ignoring a significant portion of our population, you are putting the district’s financial future at risk. This vote is completely unnecessary and has created the most community division I have seen in my 11 years on the board.
Thank you.