Senate GOP push bills banning local control over masking and other health decisions
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee advanced a series of bills that would bar local school districts from requiring masks and other measures to keep students and educators safe.
SBs 600-603 now go to the full Senate for their consideration – the bills prohibit a variety of health and safety mandates from the state, local health departments and individual school districts, including mandates about masks, testing and vaccination.
MEA opposes these bills, which attack local control. Individual districts should be able to work with employees (through collective bargaining) and their communities to prioritize keeping everyone healthy and safe during this pandemic. We believe state and federal masking recommendations for schools are in the best interest of everyone’s safety and are actively encouraging everyone eligible to take advantage of the safe, effective and free COVID-19 vaccine (which nearly 90% of MEA members have already done).
Contact your State Senator and urge them to vote no on SB 600-603 and to stand up for local control for our schools.
Vaccine and mask mandates are NeCESSARY! I’’m speaking on behalf of physicians. I’m sick of the public and lawmakers going against medical advice. My husband and I both physicians and are tired of seeing the preventable deaths and demand on our hospitals and staff. This is irresponsible on all levels. Our hospitals only have so many beds and staff which are being clogged by these careless political opinions. This matter should not be politicized and shame on everyone who thinks otherwise. It shows the lack of education and respect for other humans. The problem I’m seeing is our hospital is at high census. My husband works at a smaller hospital and when he needs to transfer patients who need higher level care, we can’t take them. They have to try some other hospitals, who also that have limited beds so sometimes, the outcome is bad. It’s sick, selfish, and sad we are being put in this situation by such uneducated and political views who are outnumbering those who really should be making decisions based on the best interests of the community. Let me tell you the number of unvaccinated people who end up begging for the vaccine before we intubate them for days, weeks, months. It’s too late we tell them. Now is not the time to have a heart attack, stroke, or anything else emergent because we are busy with these sick unvaccinated patients who take time, beds, staff, and equipment from other medical issues that need treated.
It would be different if we were at heard immunity or if all the kids could be vaccinated. Until then, this stance proves the lack of understanding of the bigger issue and they won’t get it until themselves or a loved one is directly impacted. Something we also see every day and are growing insensitive to.
This is not wise.
Forcing our children to wear mask everyday, for hours and hours, is so terribly damaging to their metal health. If you don’t have a child, if you aren’t forced to watch what it is doing to them, you really shouldn’t have a right to judge. Please pass this bill, for the safety and we’ll being of our most vulnerable and valuable citizens.