Group Of Parents Ask Utah State Board Of Education For School Mask Mandate
Aug 6, 2021, 7:17 PM | Updated: Jul 14, 2023, 11:56 am
SALT LAKE CITY — Concerned parents gathered in Salt Lake City Friday, pleading with the Utah State Board of Education to mandate masks in schools.
They wrote a letter to give to the board, which garnered around 500 signatures within 24 hours.
“We as Utahns can do better,” said advocate Francesca Rose.
The state legislature has left the decision up to health departments to work with their local school districts, but this group of parents hopes to have the Board of Education join them in encouraging masks.
Chris Phillip helped organize the event. His family is from Cottonwood Heights and his wife is a teacher.
“We are a value-driven state here in Utah,” he said. “We believe in loving one another and caring for one another. That is what this movement is about — loving and caring for the students not able to get vaccinated.”
Rose represented over a thousand families who are part of the Utah food allergy network.
She thinks all students should be wearing masks to protect those with hidden disabilities.
“I have a daughter that has a throat issue, where a simple cold, she can end up in the hospital, needing breathing treatments,” she said. “Wearing masks would protect her from getting a serious illness. Who knows what would happen to her if she got COVID.”
Officials with the Salt Lake County Health Department said data shows masks requirements worked in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
On the flip side, there’s a lot of parents that think masks are harmful to students developmental and social skills.
