It’s my job as a teacher to make sure my students are safe. We currently have no effective treatment, no cure, and no vaccine for this virus. We have no idea what the long-term effects of this virus may be, but pulmonary and neurological deficits have been recorded in individuals who were healthy before contracting the virus.

Mask wearing has been recently shown to help stop transmission by as much as 40%. If we go back with no safety measures, we are putting children, their parents, school staff, and community members at an increased risk of serious illness and death. As an educator, I feel helpless if our community decides to endanger children who have placed their trust in us to provide a safe learning environment. 

You would be rightly outraged if your child died because their teacher refused to wear a mask. Think of your child. Set the example for them to listen to doctors, virologists, scientists, and respected science journals. A year with safety restrictions is better than living the rest of your life without your child, or your child living the rest of their life without you.