Governor Northam, 

In the past week, the number of diagnosed cases of COVID 19 in Virginia surpassed 58,000. The number of deaths is well over 1,600. 96.8% of those deaths are in the 50 and up age group. I am 60 years old, and this is quite frankly, terrifying. As an educator and breadwinner in my family, I support a spouse with diabetes, children in college, and a mortgage. I have spent the last months converting very quickly to online instruction as well as making and donating over 500 masks for health care workers to date. My family cannot afford to have any one of us bring this virus home. I wear my mask in public and I do so because it is the responsible thing to do. It causes me very little inconvenience, and wearing a mask gives me more liberty to leave my house and run those long-postponed and necessary errands.

I am appalled that anyone would believe that wearing a mask is an act of racism, a denial of one’s liberty, or an invasion of the autonomy of one’s own body.  When our schools reopen, all staff and students should be wearing masks. And we must continue to do so until we have a vaccine for all.

If educators cannot return to a safe workplace, many, many will leave the profession rather than risk infection. Last year over 1,000 teaching positions already went unfilled in Virginia, and nearly 20% of the current teaching workforce is over age 50. Most new teachers never make the five-year anniversary before leaving the profession. So education is headed for a huge crisis if educators are no longer willing to bear the risk of teaching in an unsafe environment. We have to know that our government and health department will have our backs if we are forced to return to the classroom. We are not unwilling to teach,  it we are unwilling to return to an unsafe environment. 

Please, please continue to guide our Commonwealth with science. We are counting on you.