It’s not ‘freedom’ that comes between you and having your child wear a mask. It’s belligerence.

It’s easy to be righteous. We think, believe, being righteous is gonna change minds and change hearts and get folks to agree with us, but it doesn’t always work that way, but none the less, I’m giving this my best righteous shot.

If this were just about our kids safety, we wouldn’t be here — HERE being a place where anger and fear and untamed rage is palpable, you can literally feel it in the hallways, in the classrooms and in the chairs — the seats — and in the air and all of that spreads as insidiously and as rapidly as Covid-19 — and all of that: fear and anger, rage and hate — well, that breaks hearts and ruins friendships and causes financial ruin and it divides small towns and small towns need to care deeply about it’s neighbors and businesses and schools otherwise we crack and crumble and break under the weight of nasty and spiteful and mean-spirited and that ugliness has nothing — NOTHING — TO DO WITH OUR CHILDREN, but it is what we are teaching them, it is the message we’re sending them loud and clear.

I don’t want children growing up thinking it’s okay to not care about other people, to not be willing to sacrifice so others can breathe easier, so others can live longer, so others can feel safe wherever they go.

It’s called the human race, not the human sprint.

How we treat each other NOW will ripple for years to come.

How we respond to a crisis will show our children what generosity looks like, what courage looks like. Some of you don’t think this is a crisis, some of you think this is all a hoax, many have made this political issue rather than the health crisis that it is. This is not political, it is also not a religious issue. It is based in facts and science and a truth that many don’t want to see.

We are in a crisis.

And it is now at a tipping point and having our children wear masks — a face covering to protect themselves and others — is not about “freedom” — it is about safety and love and decency and respect.

How many of you go around telling women that their body — their very own body — is none of their business — let me repeat that: how many of you believe that a woman making choices about her very own body is none of HER business? How many of you are now shouting and screaming — carrying signs: My Body My Choice about wearing masks — and that your body is your business and your business only.

Do you see the hypocrisy of that?

“My Body, My Choice” in relation to wearing a mask, but when a women declares that her body, her very own body is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS and certainly not the business of the Government — she becomes a target of hate and vitriol and called a murderer.

So how about we do this: put down our swords and guns and weapons of choice — and our tossing disdain and vitriol back and forth like frisbees — and start thinking about our children — our children who will be roaming these halls and sitting in these seats and breathing in the air and how about we come together as a community that cares deeply about their lives. How about we teach these kids about acceptance and compassion — knowing that life can be difficult and uncomfortable and sometimes the CHOICES we make for them is so they can live longer. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want their child to live a long fruitful life. A life filled with goodness and love, compassion and generosity.

How about we find a common ground — not unlike a playground — so our children can BE SAFE, really safe, so we can all breathe easier, so at the end of the day they can run back into our arms — knowing that we did what we needed to do because it was the right thing to do. I doubt any one here wants to sit at the bedside of their child on a ventilator wishing they had done the right thing at the right time.

How many of us can’t wait for our children to run back into our arms after a day at school? They can only run back into our arms if we show them how much we love them, how much we wanna take care of them, how much they are worth to us... how much we value them as human beings not pawns — how much we want them to be healthy and safe and sound.

Our children deserve all the magic the world has to offer — magic is born from tenacity and resilience, from a deep profound strength — fearless is much different than fear filled — and the knowing, the absolute knowing that we need each other, and we must help each other the best we can.

Our children deserve witnessing that.

It’s not “freedom” that comes between you and having your child wear a mask, it’s belligerence, and belligerence spreads more virulently.

Amy Ferris

Milford

This statement was presented before the Delaware Valley school board.