School board must explain how its decision on masks is in our best interest

An open letter to the DVSD School Board and Superintendent:

I am not writing this letter to change your minds. The scientific evidence is very clear on how this virus has changed. The transmissibility and its impact on kids has massively accelerated.

Reasonable people do not debate this.

So, I won’t reference the science on masking, or point out that the mitigation efforts you are moving forward with are inadequate, because it’s clear that science isn’t going to change your minds.

Emotional pleas about mothers holding babies struggling to breathe, or the mental health of students who most certainly lost and will continue to lose parents, grandparents, cousins and friends to this disease, won’t change your mind.

The American Academy of Pediatrics won’t change your mind. The teacher’s union won’t change your mind. Recommendations from the CDC won’t change your mind, unless it’s mandated. Because going beyond what’s required apparently isn’t in the Warrior spirt.

Begging for reasonable accommodations, even for those of us who have kids were young to be vaccinated, won’t change your mind. Telling you a story about how I’m heartbroken because I can’t tell my first grader that school is a safe space for her or that people in charge of her education don’t have her best interest at heart, because they have done “online research” or are worried about their next election.

None of us like masks, I cringe every time I see her in one – but she wears one, because she knows that’s how she protects herself, and she’s so sad that her school won’t make other parents protect her. And I am sad that it’s even a fight we have to have. This board is committing to putting politics before children and common sense.

Despite the loud protestations from a certain group of people, school clearly isn’t just focused on facts and science. There’s without a doubt some measure of morality and ethics here, although I hesitate to call it that. Sure, it’s possible that eventually the fear of lawsuits, liability factors and possibly the district and taxpayers losing thousands of dollars because families have no other choice other than online charter schools may change your mind. But this is so clearly a political decision or at least a group of people who are willing to bend to an angry mob, who eschew actual science and thinks research is googling to find a source that fits their narrative.

So, I can’t convince you of any of this because this isn’t a logical discussion with a reasonable shared set of facts. I can’t convince any of you to agree to some sort of set point where if cases reach X number, we will do Y.

What I am going to do here is demand that all of you go on record explaining your vote. Explaining to the community why this decision is in the best interest of the students, and the population’s health. I want you on record explaining how the massive disruptions to working parents, and business owners will impact the local economy. I want you all on record so when the inevitable continues to happen, we know exactly what the school board stands for. Be proud of your vote, because history will remember it.

And I want to publicly thank the brave people who showed up at the school board meeting, and who wrote letters and signed their names to petitions to fight for the safety of our kids, because it is scary to go against what really is the angry mob. There’s been threats, and we know there will be threats. A lot of people didn’t come because they’re scared and I want to thank those who showed bravery, because it’s far more than this board is able to do.

Erica Manney

Milford, Pa.