We are approaching the end of July and are only a few weeks from the re-opening of schools. It is time for our local school boards to make decisions so parents can determine the best course of action to take for their children.
It is clear that the CDC and IDPH will not give further guidance. The most recent guidance is as follows:
“Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening testing).”
The Cook County Department of Public Health issued this threat in response: “The use of should in guidance does not imply that a strategy is optional.” They are 100% incorrect. “Should” denotes a guideline or recommendation while the word “shall” denotes a requirement that is mandatory. Not only has the CCDPH repeatedly demonstrated their incompetence over the last year, now they’re attempting to twist the English language to fit their political narrative. This while they don’t require children to wear masks at Guaranteed Rate Field or the United Center…
The IDPH guidance very clearly gives the authority to the school boards. Many school boards have already made a decision to give parents the option on mask wearing. It’s time for our local school boards to do the same.
At this time, I think the data is clear. We know that the mortality rate for known cases is nearly zero for children. More children in the U.S. died in 2018/2019 from the flu than died have died with COVID. H1N1 took the lives of 3 to 5 times as many children as has COVID 19. Yet, we took none of these measures. A Message from the Office of the Mayor: June 30, 2021 – YouTube
The data shows that we do not need to be requiring mask wearing for our children’s safety, which means we’d be forcing them to wear masks for the safety of unvaccinated adults. Personally, I don’t think our children should bear the brunt of a disease that has no impact on them to make adults feel comfortable. Any adult that is at risk has had plenty of time to get a vaccination. If they have not, it is their decision and it is ludicrous and irresponsible to force vaccines upon children to protect those adults from COVID. Adults should be protecting them, not the other way around, and should be doing everything possible to let them have normal lives.
We also shouldn’t be attempting to “quasi mandate” vaccines for children by telling parents their children won’t have to wear masks playing sports or quarantine if they have received a vaccine. This is unacceptable for what is still an experimental vaccine. Let parents make these decisions for their children in consultation with their doctors. And let’s stop segregating our children into groups based on vaccination status.
I find it informative that, up until now, the military has not mandated the vaccine . When I served, I was mandated to take an experimental anthrax vaccine and nobody was given a choice. Military members having an “option” tells me that the military does not view the disease to be risky enough for its members (the overwhelming majority under 40) to mandate an experimental vaccine. It also tells me that they don’t view the vaccine as dangerous for adults as they have not ordered members to not take it. I am sure that the military has more information on this vaccine and disease than we do.
The human species has only eradicated one human virus (smallpox) in our history. COVID will be with us for a long time to come. In fact, coronaviruses (like the common cold) have been around for a long time. There will be more variants in the future. Our elected school board members should remember that the decision they make now sets a precedent for the handling of COVID with our children for decades to come.
