91茄子

Submitted by: Lacey Patten

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Hello, I’d like to ask that no masks be mandated this year in school. This has gone on long enough and everyone is tired of it. Thank you

Submitted by: Heather Goodwin

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please consider keeping masks optional for this school year. I'm ok with a mask mandate, I just dont want them taken away for this school year. My sister has terminal cancer, and I want my kids to be able to spend time with her and make memories without worrying about whether or not it's safe to be anywhere near each other. If you want to mandate some kind of barrier, maybe encourage the use of face shields. I will be looking into getting them for my kids. We were lucky to have had a healthy year last year. I'd like to continue that.

Submitted by: Coleman Family

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I would like to know what COVID-19 mitigation strategies will be enforced within GPS. I have two kids in 3rd and 5th grade (ineligible for vaccine). Both the CDC and the AAP recommend face masks in school settings due to the younger children being ineligible for vaccine, in addition to a large portion of our community choosing to stay unvaccinated. Additionally, the schools dashboard on AZDHS is showing an upward trend of cases and percent positivity, both of those benchmarks being in the red, even in the summer months when children are not in a high density indoor space for 7 hours a day. I want my kids to be able to SAFELY attend school in person. I believe we should continue all mitigation strategies that were employed last year including mask wearing, no sharing of supplies, health dashboards showing cases, and mandatory quarantine (or negative covid test) of kids with known cases and exposure. Thank you for your consideration.

Submitted by: john calleha

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I'd like to know whether there's going to be a mandatory mask mandate at GPS this fall. If the answer is yes, I like to know what is the supporting scientific data that substantiates that decision.

Submitted by: Andrea Jader

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: We are returning in person this year after spending the entire last year in GGA. Will you please require masks for children to attend school. The new variant has us super nervous that unvaccinated kids will be in danger if not required to wear masks. Thank you.

Submitted by: Mahriah Jessee

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: What will be done to protect our unvaccinated (not eligible) children from other exposed students? My children will be wearing masks until they’re vaccinated but I am concerned they will be bullied by students who’s parents don’t believe in Covid or require their children to wear masks.

Submitted by: Mary Robbins

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Much has been said on mask wearing and vaccines and choice, especially in our state. However, children under 12 do not yet have a option to be protected by a vaccine for COVID-19. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises mask wearing in our schools, saying, "Combining layers of protection that include vaccinations, masking and clean hands hygiene will make in-person learning safe and possible for everyone.” "Schools, child care programs, and camps are encouraged to continue to support the use of face masks for children and staff until vaccine is available and uptake within the pediatric population is high enough to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2." I can tell you that we do not have a culture of even supporting the use of face masks in 91茄子, let alone recommend them. We recently move to 91茄子, and when we were touring schools in this area (some in the district, some not), on multiple occasions, school staff invited my children to remove their masks, saying “You don’t have to wear a mask here if you don’t want to.” We are all suffering from pandemic fatigue, but we have the strength in us to make one last push to keep our little ones as safe as possible. I ask that 91茄子 Public Schools reimplement a mask policy, at the very least for all the elementary schools in the district, until the vaccine can be available to our youngest students.

Submitted by: Sara Flaherty

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please require children11 and younger to wear masks. Thank you!

Submitted by: Cara-Lee Alford

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: As a parent of two children with special needs I understand how hard it is for the school district to provide the services our children need virtually. Like many families we made the decision that even though they were less than ideal, the online Global Academy classes were still the best option for our family given the pandemic. Though we have never been notified in any type of writing, through conversations initiated by me after hearing rumors I was informed that our children’s teachers were asked if they felt their online classes were meeting FAPE and their answer was no, so in the fall our children will be required to attend class in person. As special needs parents we knew they could attend in person last year, and we knew how hard online was and what needs it was not meeting because we are the ones filling in the gaps, but it was still the best choice for our family. In addition, the only alternative we have been given to in person classes is to apply for home bound services designed for sick children. We are fortunate because we may qualify for this option because our son is at high risk were he to get COVID. We know many families who will not qualify and do not want to return to in person. Home Bound services only offer 4 hours of academics per week. This is over a 60% and 80% reduction in academic hours for my children from what they received at Global Academy, and they will not be getting all the same online support services they receive for their IEPs last year. In essence, because online was not meeting their needs they are put in a situation to lose even more services. We were not even notified in time to allow us to apply for funding and scholarships to help us send them to online schools that support special needs. Now our choice is taken away at a time where the Delta variant is now the dominant strain and our children are too young to vaccinate. Our children are not afforded the same choices to protect them that general education families are receiving. We are being mandated to send our unvaccinated children to maskless schools with a highly contagious strain of COVID 19, or our children will lose even more support for their IEPs. Our children are being singled out and there was not even an effort I am aware of to reach out to parents during the year to find ways to make the online classes a better fit. There are many small changes that myself and others have repeatedly brought up that would make a huge difference and they were never embraced. We are being forced to put our children at risk when general education parents are given a choice.

Submitted by: Perry Kapadia

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: GCA is not offering any hybrid school this year. Why? Has the 91茄子 School District changed its policy or is GCA going rogue? It could give the hybrid option like it did last year via 91茄子 Global. The delta variant is really contagious and our vaccination rates are low. If he child/student gets covid then the school will be responsible and accountable for it. The bigger concern is why put kids in harms way. Thanks.

Submitted by: katie moser

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: hello, from watching the previous board meeting it seemed there was a couple members wanting to revisit the idea of requiring masks for children in the fall semester. I would like to voice that I prefer to stick with the "optional mask" regulation for my daughter attending her 1st grade class this year and to not reinstall the required mask use. thank you.

Submitted by: Randy

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: If you make my child wear masks and/or required her to be vaccinated I will be withdrawing my child from school and will be running for school board to replace you.

Submitted by: elise kelner

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: please implement a masking requirement for all students, teachers, staff, parents, etc, who are not fully vaccinated. I can always choose to send my child to school with a mask, but it won't do an ounce of good unless those around him who are unvaccinated are masked as well. we have a family member who is very high risk & the new delta variant is spreading rampantly among those who are not vaccinated. please do this until people of all ages are able to get their vaccinations. thank you.

Submitted by: Krista Cardona

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I am a concerned parent/grandparent of 2 GPS students in grades 2nd and 6th. Our family is very concerned about the COVID Delta variant and, per health experts’ stated concerns, about the variant's impact on unvaccinated people. Because children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated at this time and likely not until late 2021/early 2022, it is especially important that our community do all it can to minimize risk to students at the elementary age level and to students of all ages who are unable to get vaccinated for various medical reasons. Even though the Governor/state legislature has taken steps to prevent local communities from mandating masks in our schools, there are many ways 91茄子 Public Schools can maximize the health and safety of GPS students, staff, and their families. I am writing to request that the governing board take the following actions to ensure our school communities are as safe as possible by doing the following: 1) Maintain all layers of risk mitigations in all GPS schools that are legally allowed: 3-foot physical distancing in classrooms, hallways, lunchrooms and on buses; improved ventilation; limited large group gatherings indoors; enhanced cleaning; and other mitigations used last school year. 2) Provide an official GPS statement that encourages the use of face masks by students and families while on school busses and district property as recommended by the AZ Department of Health Services and CDC. This includes strongly encouraging students and staff to wear masks while indoors. 3) Provide an official GPS statement that district administrators, teachers, bus drivers, and staff will address bullying and/or harassment directed toward students wearing masks. 4) Continue using and frequently updating the GPS’s school dashboard in addition to considering zip code, district and community trends per the Maricopa County Health District’s school dashboard. 5) Communicate the above information on GPS’s webpage. The start of this school year comes at an unfortunate time when a more communicable variant of COVID is increasing positivity rates in our state and putting the GPS boundaries in a "state of red" for having a high rate of community spread. Our governor and other elected officials seemingly are uninterested in protecting our students. I hope that our local elected officials on the school board will ease the anxiety of the start of this school year by addressing these issues and protecting our students. Sincerely, Krista Cardona

Submitted by: Gerald Bradley

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I am asking the Board to acknowledge the continuing threat posed by the coronavirus, specifically, the Delta Variant and the health and safety of our elementary-aged school children. I am asking them to take every measure they can to reflect the guidance given to us by the CDC, the President, AZDHS, Dr. Cara Christ and nearly every medical or scientific organization that provided recommendations for how to protect the unvaccinated. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended all students, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks at school. https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/. The CDC recommends unvaccinated students and staff all wear masks at schools. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html#mask-use The CDC also recommends physical distancing, screening tests, and handwashing. Id. Arizona’s own health director recommends such measures. https://ktar.com/story/4584338/arizona-health-director-recommends-face-masks-for-kids-returning-to-school/ The mitigation measures at schools taken last year appear to have been very successful. We are now on a road to scrapping all or most of those, despite a continued threat to the kids. Doing so is against the advice of most educated authorities on this virus. A vaccination for children is estimated to be coming in the near future. I am asking for consideration of encouragement of children to wear masks, schools practicing social distancing, taking measures as they did last year pertaining to lunches, parent notification when there are positives/quarantines, etc. I understand (as best I can) the political aspect to this issue, but we expect to the Board to make the right decisions no matter who is loudest. What would go wrong if we encouraged mitigation measures like last year for another month or two? We know the answer to the other side of that coin: children dying or ending up with serious health complications. I am a parent going back to in-person school that had kids online last year under the (apparently false) assumption that, if need be, the schools would take measures again to protect kids. It's not too late. Please do not use Governor Ducey's mandate as a shield to do very little, or close to nothing. There is much the district and schools can do to encourage or schools to have children educated as safely as possible until there is a vaccine option. Of course, kids that refused to wear a mask or did not honor social distancing suggestions could not be punished or have any consequences under the mandate, but that is not a reason to forego trying to do the right thing. I ask the District to also encourage schools to consider creative ways where compromises could be made. For example, children that wore masks and wanted such measures could (as much as possible) be placed in classrooms together while children whose parents were not interested in such things could be together in another room. Thank you.

Submitted by: Eric Mette

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Masks should be optional but not mandated if you follow the science.

Submitted by: Hiral Patel

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: To members of the board, My daughter, Neeva Patel, is a special needs student, who is diagnosed with autism and is also non-verbal. She has been attending Spectrum Elementary, in the Spice program, for the past several years. Last year, she was enrolled at Global Academy, as we wanted an online-option during COVID. She struggled with it, and the teachers decided she would no longer benefit from it, and told us that she should attend in-person for the next school year. Now we are about to start the next school year, and her age group is still not eligible for COVID vaccinations, and due to being a special needs student, she is not capable of understanding how and when to keep a mask on. Regardless of these issues, the only option we are being given by the district is to attend school in-person. How are we supposed to be ok with risking our children’s lives during this time when the pandemic is only getting stronger, with stronger variants than before? I would not have any problems sending her to school if she was fully vaccinated, but she is not, so why are these kids not being given any other options? Online-learning was not ideal, but it is much better than risking the lives of these children. Please arrange an online-option for these kids, who are right now the most vulnerable due to not being vaccinated. At least give us an option until they are able to get fully vaccinated. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Hiral Patel

Submitted by: Stephanie Johnson

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Good afternoon. My daughter, 6, starts first grade this year. Last year, she did the majority of the school year remote. Academically, she did fine in online school. Socially, she missed the kids. She has a vision issue, however, that was exacerbated by too much computer time and she ended up in bifocals toward the end of the year. I agree that in-person school is the best place for her and most children. However, with Covid-19 surging again, I am back to fear and uncertainty even though all adult members of our family are vaccinated. We don't know what this new variant will do to children in the long term. I find it unacceptable and strange the AZ State Legislature passed a law that prevents local schools from following guidance that's put out BY THE STATE. In the best world, I'd like to see the Board push back on the state and the governor's office like I've seen in other districts. I'd like to see the Board here put out their own guidance such as "Masks Recommended and Encouraged" or perhaps work on outreach about the positive benefits of masking in situations such as this one. I'm sending my daughter to school with a mask, but I don't know how well she'll do if other kids aren't wearing one and the teachers don't/can't enforce it. What if there is an outbreak at the school? I'd think the liability issue alone (regardless of waivers!) would be enough to push this district and others to come up with a stronger position than "The State told us we can't do anything." The State is working against it's own health agencies and grandstanding for political purposes. I'm hoping for the best this year. Honestly, as I and many other parents are again pushed to our limits, I'm prepared to withdraw my student yet again and wait it out until she can get vaccinated and/or we find either a better education solution than discarding safety concerns because the people making policy decisions are too concerned with their own agendas. Thank you.

Submitted by: Carol Beumler Weaver

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Critical Race Theory , Equity Philosophy and Teaching, 1619 Teaching have all been in the news lately. I would like to know 91茄子 School Board's position, the Superintendent's position, and the Teacher's positions on whether or not these three agendas or any similar agenda will be taught at any grade level of any 91茄子 Public Schools albeit Elementary, Junior High or High School? Will all teachers and staff be trained in this curriculum and practice its teachings within the school curriculum or practice, or towards the children? If so, when and will there be any effort to keep this teaching away from parents.... ie "Don't tell your parents we are teaching these subjects or taking tests on these subjects or asking about home life and parent life regarding these subjects? With this matter so predominant in the news... I believe GPS School Board and Superintendent needs to publish a denial or affirmation as to what, if any, their agenda will be towards these theories and when will or will not take effect?

Submitted by: E Pearson

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: The USDA approved free school meals for all students regardless of income eligibility for the 2021/22 school year. Why has GPS been silent on this?

Submitted by: Amanda Harless

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I am a concerned parent/grandparent of 2 GPS students in grades 4 and 7. Our family is very concerned about the COVID Delta variant and, per health experts’ stated concerns, about the variant's impact on unvaccinated people. Because children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated at this time and likely not until late 2021/early 2022, it is especially important that our community do all it can to minimize risk to students at the elementary age level and to students of all ages who are unable to get vaccinated for various medical reasons. Even though the Governor/state legislature has taken steps to prevent local communities from mandating masks in our schools, there are many ways 91茄子 Public Schools can maximize the health and safety of GPS students, staff, and their families. I am writing to request that the governing board take the following actions to ensure our school communities are as safe as possible by doing the following: 1) Maintain all layers of risk mitigations in all GPS schools that are legally allowed: 3-foot physical distancing in classrooms, hallways, lunchrooms and on buses; improved ventilation; limited large group gatherings indoors; enhanced cleaning; and other mitigations used last school year. 2) Provide an official GPS statement that encourages the use of face masks by students and families while on school busses and district property as recommended by the AZ Department of Health Services and CDC. This includes strongly encouraging students and staff to wear masks while indoors. 3) Provide an official GPS statement that district administrators, teachers, bus drivers, and staff will address bullying and/or harassment directed toward students wearing masks. 4) Continue using and frequently updating the GPS’s school dashboard in addition to considering zip code, district and community trends per the Maricopa County Health District’s school dashboard. 5) Communicate the above information on GPS’s webpage. The start of this school year comes at an unfortunate time when a more communicable variant of COVID has put the GPS boundaries in a "state of red" for having a high rate of community spread. Our governor and other elected officials seemingly are uninterested in protecting our students. I hope that our local elected officials on the school board will ease the anxiety of the start of this school year by addressing these issues and protecting our students.

Submitted by: Joanne Ingram

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Hello, I am a concerned parent requesting that you please encourage the state to consider a mask mandate for all Arizona schools. I have already withdrawn my 5-year-old from Finley Farms Elementary so she can attend kindergarten virtually through 91茄子 Global Academy. While I'm grateful for the online option, this isn't an ideal situation by any means. I'm keeping her home because masks will be "optional," and obviously very few, if any, of the children in her school are eligible to receive the vaccine. My vaccinated 13-year-old daughter is enrolled at 91茄子 High School and may be withdrawn if "optional" mask usage and vaccination rates are low because I'm fearful for her safety and for the safety of her little sister, who is completely unprotected. It should go without saying that masks are necessary to help control this virus. I am truly at my wits' end at this point, and I know I'm not alone. Please, please do something to help protect Arizona's children.

Submitted by: Matthew Oskowis

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: As the state's legislative body has taken the ability of issuing a mask mandate from the school district. At the very least, the school district should provide the parents the ability to have there children to be online within the school that their with, similar to what was done last academic school year. The more appropriate action, as masks were the primary weapon in the school's arsenal to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to keep the elementary schools virtual until a vaccine can be provided for those 12 and under. Without a mask mandate, we would only be exposing those children in the elementary schools to an increase risk of contracting the virus and possible death. Be the solution not the problem.

Submitted by: Tesha Hensley-Brown

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: We certainly had hoped by now that we could be starting a more typical year, but the reality is that our state and community have not reached herd immunity. In fact, per Maricopa County, our district and community is now at HIGH Transmission and positivity levels (07/22/21). We still need the district and schools to take every effort possible to keep our children and school staff safe and healthy while at school by using a “multi-pronged, layered approach” (AAP, 2021). Per our pediatrician, access to the vaccine will not be available to children under age 11 until late-November at the very earliest. On behalf of our youngest child and nearly every student at his elementary school (and all elementary schools) who are ineligible for the vaccine, and considering the HIGH transmission level currently in our community and per health expert guidance, we expect that the district/schools will ensure all lawful risk mitigations will be in place on the first day of school: spaced out lunch tables, 3 ft physically distancing in the classroom, use of own supplies, modified flow of student traffic in the hallways, increased ventilation, very limited group gatherings in enclosed spaces, or done outdoors. We would also like the district to require masks / physically distancing on busses.

Submitted by: Ashley

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Good morning. I know you plan on addressing covid procedures for this upcoming year. I am requesting you keep the masks optional. We masked our kids for a year and it has since come out that not only Fauci said they were not effective but medical studies have now also shown that kids have been breathing in up to 4x the CO2 they should be by wearing them that long, as well as pneumococcal bacteria and others showing up on the inside of the masks etc. If parents want their kids to continue to wear them, that's fine but please keep it optional. Thank you

Submitted by: Drew

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Are masks going to be required for the kids? I can see if they are made optional but studies have shown they actually do more harm then good for them. I believe it should be up to the parents to make the decision.

Submitted by: Lori L.

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Covid-19 mitigating measures (e.g., masks, distancing, etc.) for K-12. This morning, the CDC recommended those same measures for all in K-12 schools, as well as vaccinated individuals wearing masks indoors in high transmission areas (AZ as a state has areas from high-to-extremely high). These are groups that exist to keep children and adults safe. The Arizona state legislature was extraordinarily short-sighted to remove school districts’ ability to enforce simple measures to keep the one population that can’t be vaccinated safe. At the very least, I would request that you stay the course with mitigating measures from last year, strongly recommend wearing masks (and have teachers and staff model correct usage), and consider making on-site testing available. I’d also request that you continue to enforce the daily health assessment for students, and be as transparent as possible in keeping the dashboard updated. This is critical in giving parents an accurate understanding of exposure in schools so we can make decisions on our children’s and family’s safety and well-being.

Submitted by: Bridget Zimmerman

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please do NOT mask our children. Let this be a family health choice. These mandates are an assault on our personal & health freedoms. Masks are not health for kids, physically, mentally or socially. Remember, Governor Ducey passed a bill banning the requirement of face coverings: "NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW OR ORDER, A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN, SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD OR CHARTER SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY MAY NOT REQUIRE THE USE OF FACE COVERINGS BY STUDENTS OR STAFF DURING SCHOOL HOURS AND ON SCHOOL PROPERTY." Thank you!