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Public Comment 1
Submitted by: Amber Holt-Geary
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I received five emails home this year already regarding a potential Covid exposure to my student compared to a total of three for the entire school year last year. When will masks be required for students? At what infection rate will hybrid or remote learning begin?
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Public Comment 2
Submitted by: Jenna Watson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional for students & staff!! I have three kids in district. We have options to many other districts near us. This is a very important issue to our family. Families deserve what is best for their own children!!!!!!
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Public Comment 3
Submitted by: Kelley muslin
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please leave it up to the parent to wear a mask.
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Public Comment 4
Submitted by: Matthew Kandoll
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I support a mask mandate for 91茄子 schools. A mask mandate is essentially the only tool available to help protect elementary age students from covid.
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Public Comment 5
Submitted by: Allison Monroe
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Hello, Please consider following the guidance of the CDC and require masks for students and teachers in the classroom. There is another wave happening and our kids are paying the price. Please help us protect our kids that cannot get vaccinated, so that everyone can stay in school in person. At the start of COVID the board stated they would follow state metrics and AZDHS guidance. Both of those would show the need for mitigation in schools. Thank you, Allison Monroe
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Public Comment 6
Submitted by: Michelle Gransee
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please consider masks being required at school. Kids are being deemed sick when it’s just allergies and questioned by teachers. I don’t send my kid to school sick! But she does have asthma. Kids are getting sick let and right due to no masks. Please consider this a requirement at school
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Public Comment 7
Submitted by: Stephanie Johnson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Public health is not a culture war. It is not an opinion. You must implement stronger Covid-19 mitigation at least for K-6 schools where most students cannot be vaccinated. Other districts have mandated masks for a period of time. Other districts require a negative test to enter school. If you won't mandate masks, why isn't it required a child shows proof of a negative test BEFORE school starts? Saying the air filters are good and sometimes the kids distance is not enough. It's not enough by anyone's standard. I'm very sorry that other vocal parents--some of whom have spoken at this board or shown up to this meeting--seem to get more weight in the decision of how to keep our children safe. This whole ordeal has been demoralizing. I'm so incredibly sad and disappointed both in this community I live in and the district in which I send my child to school. Once again, this has been a stressful and complicated start to the school year and this is in part due to the inaction of this board elected to keep children safe and even acknowledge Covid-19 is still a pandemic.
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Public Comment 8
Submitted by: Melissa Thompson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: As a parent of two elementary kids who are too young to be vaccinated, I am beyond frustrated with the lack of protections for our children. Masks should be required and I have seen other districts find loopholes and other ways to enact a mask mandate. If masks are not enforced, distancing must be in place. No more open house, meet your teacher nights, no more large gatherings. Virtual learning isn’t ideal for our elementary children and I’m not advocating for that. If our school are in person (as I would like them to stay) then MASKS NEED TO BE WORN to protect or students, teachers, facility and staff. I am disappointed that I have to write this; do we not care about the long term effects of Covid on our future generation?
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Public Comment 9
Submitted by: Sofia A Tobar
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I removed my 5th grader after only 4 days of school, as they had positive cases in his classroom, and he and only one other child were regularly wearing masks. I want him to attend in person VERY MUCH, but is there any way we can protect the kids, until a vaccine is available, without mandating masks? Sadly he is attending Primavera, because they are much better equipped to manage online students than Global (which we had all last year), but I would LOVE if he could come back to in person classes - I'm just waiting for the District to take a stand for kids' safety. Is that forthcoming?
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Public Comment 10
Submitted by: Brandi Baker
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No masks for the kids at school. Keep it optional for the people that still feel the need to wear one, but it should NOT be mandatory for everyone. I am the parent and make the decision I feel is best for my kids and I choose to not have them masked.
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Public Comment 11
Submitted by: Michelle Bair
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I request that GPS keeps mask wearing optional for the entire school year. Students have had enough struggles the last year and a half and it should be left up to each family to decide if wearing a mask is the right thing for them. I know that my kids are so much happier being mask free this year.
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Public Comment 12
Submitted by: Staci Sturgeon
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I would like to request that the same COVID19 mitigation measures be put into place that were put into place last year including the benchmarks, mandatory mask wearing, etc. It is clear from the numbers of kids getting sick (no they might not die but over 1/3 of children ARE getting long COVID) that what we are doing so far this year is not working. The reason the benchmarks were put into place last year was due to scientific evidence that the mitigation strategies used worked and they did! Now for some reason, this year, with a stronger variant of the virus that IS affecting more kids, we're going to throw all that out because we have some parents that might be a little mad because their children are inconvenienced to wear a mask? That makes absolutely no sense and the only reason to not implement scientific mitigation strategies is if you are turning this into some political agenda which this is not. I don't care who you vote for - I want my kids and my neighbors kids protected and I WANT MY SCHOOL BOARD TO WANT THE SAME THING REGARDLESS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Public Comment 13
Submitted by: Alexa Ankeny
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I will pull both of my kids from Ashland and svjh if masks are mandated.
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Public Comment 14
Submitted by: Justine Woods
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: require masks & set up online school like last year- my kids have already missed 2 weeks of school from exposure from other students and need to be able to stay connected with their teachers. Every other school district is doing something about it. I will literally cover our legal fees to take Ducey to court. Not kidding- I will pay. My company will cover all costs.
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Public Comment 15
Submitted by: Caitlin G
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Masks need to continue to be optional! I currently have a 6 year old attending a school in your district. He is my first child attending school. He just started 1st grade. Last year he absolutely HATED kindergarten (cried daily) because of the masks. He attended summer school just fine and now in 1st grade he is just fine. Masks should be optional. 91茄子 public schools does not have the right to make decisions for my children. I do as his mother. And my choice is no masks. I believe it is a form of child abuse. If parents want to wear masks or have their children wear masks and same goes for teachers, that's fine. That's their right. But I am not ok with my child wearing a mask. And I can tell you about 90% of the staff and parents of the students agree since most people do not wear masks which tells me they are NOT worried. If you are so concerned about what parents want for their children re masks then where is the surgery? I gave GPS a second chance and did not pull him out of school after last years crap. But if you mandate masks, I'm done. And so is my child. I will pull him and put him in a district or charter school that does not mandate masks. Higley and Chandler voted no for mask mandate. And I also want to remind you that masks cannot be mandate pursuant to Duceys order as of September 29th. Ducey also granted additional monies for school districts that do not have Covid restrictions. I suggest before making a decision, you speak with your financial advisor. And take into account IF GPS puts a restriction how many students will no longer be enrolled.
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Public Comment 16
Submitted by: Deanna Medeiros
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: My daughter is 13. She was online all of last year. This year I sent her back to school because she is vaccinated. She wears a mask. I’m terribly afraid of her bringing Covid home to myself because I am immunocompromised and her little sister who is not eligible to be vaccinated. Her sister has been online since Mar 2020. I think the very least the school district can do is to mandate vaccines to everyone 12 and older. And masks should be worn by everyone since vaccines are not 100% effective and undoubtedly there will be some who can not be vaccinated for health reasons. I think it’s the least we can do. Let’s face it, I had to submit vaccination records to register for school and my kids have always had dress codes. Vaccinations and mask requirements should be no different now. This is not a political statement. This is not about peoples’ freedoms unless it’s their freedom to infect my family. Thank you
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Public Comment 17
Submitted by: Amy Ulrickson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: First off, I’m so grateful for all of you. You’ve had an incredibly difficult job the last year and a half and you’ve led our district with integrity and wisdom. Thank you. I’m writing to request that you consider requiring masks for children under 12 attending in GPS. My son is 10 and unfortunately too young to be vaccinated. His school, Towne Meadows, was up to 10 cases as of last Friday. I spoke with the school nurse and she said she’s never seen numbers and sick kids like this last year. We know masks help to prevent the spread. We all want the schools open and children in class. Mask wearing is simple and effective. CDC guidelines are clear that unvaccinated people should not be indoors unmasked, so how can we have our elementary children gathering unmasked? I hope too will consider instituting a mask mandate to help our schools stay open and safe.
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Public Comment 18
Submitted by: Faisury Garces Calderon
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I want to know the anti-drug policies that the school adopts, in favor of the protection of children.
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Public Comment 19
Submitted by: Meghan Elms
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: There should be a choice as to whether or not one wears a mask. I removed my child from GPS schools last year because of the back and forth of in-person, hybrid, and online school. I will take my child out of this district permanently (and so will many others who are able to, and many others will want to if not able) if there is forced action on mask wearing. The district numbers show there is not a need for any more mask mandates. I do feel that those who want to wear a mask and feel comfortable wearing one should feel like they are allowed to and feel comfortable wearing one. I also feel that that level of comfort should go both ways! If my child chooses to not wear a mask, then he should feel comfortable not wearing one. If he wants to wear a mask, then he should feel comfortable wearing one--he should not be shamed or forced to do one or the other!! I am happy to donate more cleaning supplies or resources if the school asks for them (or teacher).
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Public Comment 20
Submitted by: Victoria Smith
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please mandate masks! It keeps our kids safe and in school.
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Public Comment 21
Submitted by: Jeri Dow
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I am writing to ask that the board require masks and other cdc recommendations for school settings to reduce the spread of covid. With the delta variant rampaging, it is irresponsible to allow it to go unchecked and without proper mitigation. Our hospitals are nearing capacity and children are among the many being hospitalized this time around. Ducey's ban is likely unconstitutional and ineffective until 9/29 at which point the dept of Education will likely seek legal action. There is no longer any rational reason to avoid a mask mandate. Protect our kids and allow in-school learning to continue safely. The covid virus doesn't care what political party someone is, please don't make decisions for our children's health using political motivations.
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Public Comment 22
Submitted by: Jill Rucka
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please continue to keep masks optional and allowing parents to make the best choices for their families. All students and teachers have had the opportunity to be vaccinated. Thank you
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Public Comment 23
Submitted by: Amber McAffee
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional. Parental Choice must be maintained. We have the choice to take our children to other schools if you do not allow us to choose whether or not to mask our children.
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Public Comment 24
Submitted by: Samar Rahal
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I am writing to you today regarding the wearing of masks in schools this school year. The American Academy of Pediatrics, literally the experts in health care for children, suggest that our children should be masking at this time in school due to the high spread of the delta variant. I understand the law is prohibiting it at this time but when the law is putting my child's safety, health, and well being in danger then it becomes a law that must be challenged. I am asking you to do everything in your power to push for safety for our students here in GPS by enforcing masks during this rise of the delta variant. Perhaps give parents options for classrooms that are masked classes while at the same time challenging this unjust law. It is beyond disappointing that I have come to a point that I am literally watching adults passively accepting a law, geared toward our children's health, that goes against what the experts in children's health are encouraging us to do. Mind you, last school year the virus was less contagious, and affected children less than this new delta mutation does and all kids were masked at schools at that point. This school year when the virus has mutated, is more contagious, and is affecting more children (forget politics or where one gets their news from, just look at the local hospital admission rates of children right here in chandler/gilbert), we are not enforcing masks? Where is the logic here? It is our duty to protect our kids and advocate for their health and well being. As governing board members for GPS that responsibility also falls under your watch. That is our job as parents, and partly your job as a governing board, so I urge you to do the right thing and at a minimum give me an option to have my child be placed in a class with other children wearing a mask (at this high spread time). Thank you for time and your efforts. Take Care, Samar Rahal
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Public Comment 25
Submitted by: Derek Esparza
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: As a concerned parent in regards to masks. Elementary students should Not be forced to wear masks. They will wear them correctly it will do nothing but cause them to get sick. And if the masks were effective we wouldnt be talking about masks a year after mask mandate was implemented. Kids drop masks on the floor, they use their hands that are not sanitized to adjust the mask and last but not least any virus in the air will now stick to the mask and have a direct path into thier body. Only medical professionals are trained in the use of masks. Any other. Person wearing them is now subject to infection. If a parent chooses to have their child mask,it is their right. Does the board beleive that if one doesnt have a mask the other mask wont work? Example; if its raining and I dont have an umbrella will someone elses umbrella not work? The flu is a virus do we mask up every flu season? Food for thought.
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Public Comment 26
Submitted by: Jaime Lawless
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Hello, I am writing because I feel as though NOW is the time to act and mandate masks in schools while we can lawfully still have them. I am a medical professional and I see the burden placed on our healthcare system with the increase in children admitted for Covid. The delta variant is serious in children. There are BABIES in the pediatric ICU. My sister is a pharmacist in a hospital that was part of a code team that worked on an otherwise healthy 15 year old for 4 hours who subsequently died after every measure was taken. My brother is an ICU nurse who is now part of a “code” team who exclusively brings people out of code or they die, which is happening at alarming rates. I am a pharmacist who is vaccinating thousands of people but am also treating many people as much as I can because there are no effective treatments for SARS-CoV-2. I have also been following the Covid tracker on the gps website every Tuesday and Friday when it is updated. I’m concerned because I know of an active case at Greenfield and the child was in my daughter’s class, and now the child is not, but we have not gotten a letter. I contacted the principal and she assured me there is no case, but there is. So either she is uniformed, lying, or the parents have not told the school, which is exceedingly dangerous. There may be one or two other kids wearing the masks in my children’s classes, but masks need to be work by all to be effective. If they all wear masks, it protects them all. There is no reason not to wear them. I wear one 13 hours a day at work and my oxygen levels are fine. The district needs to do better for our children and mandate masks while we have time! Thank you, Jaime Lawless
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Public Comment 27
Submitted by: Alex Kimble
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Masks should be required. This is a simple step that can save lives. Stop playing politics and worrying about upsetting a population that will never find compromise. The kids don't care about wearing masks, the parents are the ones with the gripe. Our kids' safety is worth a simple inconvenience.
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Public Comment 28
Submitted by: Kelsey Wharton
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: School has been in session for less than 20 days and already COVID is spreading rapidly. However unlike last school year this year our children are getting sick. We must take action. Already this year our school (Carol Rae Ranch Elementary) has had nearly as many positive COVID cases in the first 15 days of school as we did all of last year. The difference is clear: masking. We must protect our children and the teachers and staff at our schools. I implore you to put all safety measures that were required last year back in place including masking and social distancing, like eating lunch in classrooms. If COVID is so concerning that we are notifying parents and disallowing those students and those they were in contact with from coming to school how can we not be trying to prevent the spread at our schools with simple measures like masking and social distancing?
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Public Comment 29
Submitted by: Wendi Romney
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please continue to allow masks to be optional!!!
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Public Comment 30
Submitted by: Jessica Webster
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Thank you for your time! We picked GPS because of the mitigation strategies implemented last year and it is really concerning that the board isn't doing what's best for all kids because our governor is acting like a bully. We are supposed to be better than that and set examples for these students to learn from. I appreciate the burden you're under, who would want make the choice between funding our schools and children's lives? The survival rate doesn't matter to those who have already lost a child to this scourge. As a mother I ask you what does the board plan to do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools now that the vaccine is FDA approved. Will this open up the option for schools to require unvaccinated kids to stay home when there is an outbreak of cases in school? If not will masking be required per CDC guidelines as schools are required to keep kids safe in order to maintain kids being on campus? For all the talk about freedom what about mine to protect my kids from something that could kill them?
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Public Comment 31
Submitted by: A. Mclaren
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Not anti mask, anti mandate. Thank you for continuing choice! Students and teachers are happy!
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Public Comment 32
Submitted by: Cynthia Lehigh
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please issue a mask mandate to keep our community, especially our unvaccinated children, safe from COVID-19. Thanks.
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Public Comment 33
Submitted by: Sarah Potter
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: There needs to be a requirement for masks in schools. We're barely a month in and we already have several outbreaks at several schools. If there is no mask requirement how can we trust that schools will keep our children safe from the virus? Cleaning more does not solve this problem. Masks protect our unvaccinated children. Just this past week my daughter got sick from a child in her classroom who was sitting behind her who then passed it onto my daughter, then to my son, and we're trying to keep our three month old baby from getting sick. MAKE MASKS MANDATORY. Amend the dress code to make a work-around the horrendous requirement that schools can't make mask mandates. There have been several schools across the state and country who have successfully done this. 91茄子 public schools should sue the governor. It is clear that our state government has chosen to play politics rather than protect our children.
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Public Comment 34
Submitted by: Natalie Witcher
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep mask wearing a choice.
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Public Comment 35
Submitted by: Arriana Arnell
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks an option and the decision left only to parents. Please, before you make this decision go into the schools and you will find that the vast majority is without a mask at this time. This is a choice at this time and the majority is choosing to go maskless. Do not take away my right as a parent to do what’s best for my children. No masks!!
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Public Comment 36
Submitted by: Kate mason
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: We fled from Oregon 2 mths ago, mainly because our district wouldn't keep it an OPTION. If you make it a mandate it WILL DESTROY our community! Please take it from someone from OREGON. People will leave the state, leave the district! we did and Know many others who fled Oregon as well.
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Public Comment 37
Submitted by:Daniel Roth
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Masks should be mandated in schools. Please follow CDC guidance and save lives.
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Public Comment 38
Submitted by:Juliette Hess
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please allow our children to attend school mask free. Please do not require online school.
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Public Comment 39
Submitted by: Kim Solle
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Thank you for taking the time to read my comment. I know that Governor Ducey has tied the schools board’s hands behind their backs when it comes to mask mandates starting September 29. Parents on both side of the issue are fired up. As a parent of two children under the age of twelve I urge you to mandate masks even if it’s only for the short time we have the Bill goes into effect. Hopefully, that will be enough time to suppress the the Delta variant that is a threat to our children. I can tell you as a parent who has asked her 5 & 7 year old to wear masks at school, it’s hard to get any support. My kids are also feeling the effects of peer pressure and just want to fit in. My daughter, who is 5, has been hospitalized for RSV and I’m worried. If you cannot mandate masks in school, what about in the bus? It seems that a bus could be a breeding ground for COVID. Thank you for your time and I hope that you will err on the side of caution. Wearing masks doesn’t harm any one, but not wearing them can.
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Public Comment 40
Submitted by: Lisa Hughes
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Our children are our future and our freedom is at risk and Masks do not save lives all they do is control us instead of us being free. We refused to wear mask as it is against our civil liberty!
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Public Comment 41
Submitted by: Natalie Knollmiller
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I have 5 kids in GPS and I am asking that you let parents make health decisions for our own children. There is not one single study of children in masks that shows they slow the spread of Covid. Please let parents that would like to send their kids in masks continue to do so and parents that don’t want to to continue to have that option.
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Public Comment 42
Submitted by: Amy Peterson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional. NO mask mandates.
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Public Comment 43
Submitted by: Lindsey Wallace
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I just want to say that I appreciate that you have made masks optional in 91茄子 so far, especially for my 3 year old daughter in toybox. I ask that you continue to make them optional. Thank you!
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Public Comment 44
Submitted by: Angela Zaugg
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please do not institute a mask mandate. They are harmful and fo not work. Look at Denmark!
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Public Comment 45
Submitted by: Deanna victor
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Hello. Makes need to be kept optional at school. If masks work and you CHOOSE to wear a mask you should not be concerned about the people around you. KEEP MASKS OPTIONAL!
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Public Comment 46
Submitted by: Jessica Thompson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No mask mandate
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Public Comment 47
Submitted by: Elizabeth
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please let masks be optional.
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Public Comment 49
Submitted by: Dayna Jamison
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No masks please/ keep masks optional
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Public Comment 50
Submitted by: Lynn Garcia
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please issue a mask mandate to keep our kids safe and in school.
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Public Comment 51
Submitted by:Aubrey Brinegar
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Keep masks optional
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Public Comment 52
Submitted by: Kristin switzer
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please allow us to choose to not wear or wear a mask.
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Public Comment 53
Submitted by: Darin victor
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Keep masks optional!
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Public Comment 54
Submitted by: Jim Lea
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Mask Mandates will save lives and prevent lifelong complications from an awful disease. You have the power to follow science and mandate masks be worn. Kids can't be vaccinated yet. It's all up to you, make the right decision. Cases are trending much worse than last year when masks were required. Just look at the data.
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Public Comment 55
Submitted by: Brandi Buchanan
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please make the wise, science driven, educated decision to require masks in schools. We know our children need to be in school, but keeping them safe is very important. A mask mandate takes the pressure off of individual kids and the bullying and questioning that ensues.
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Public Comment 56
Submitted by: Christi Anderson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Keep mask optional please! We all have the right to our on health and protection.
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Public Comment 57
Submitted by: Kelly Wesley
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I would like the board to enact a mask mandate. Most elementary age children are not yet eligible for the vaccine and masks are a simple and proven method to mitigate the spread. Considering the rapid rise of the Delta variant, I would hope we can put the safety of our children first and at this time - that would be mandatory masks.
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Public Comment 58
Submitted by: Jilyane
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Vaccines are available to anyone over the age of 12 with a choice. This offers the best protection and is available at no cost. Children do not transmit COVID or suffer the same as adults. In fact, children are essentially equal to vaccinated adults. More children died (480) of the flu in the 2018/2019 flu season than in the 1.5 years of COVID - yet I did not see one parent, staff or board member seek to mandate masks. It is child abuse to force children to wear masks unnecessarily. What are the long term side effects of masks on children's' developing immune systems? How do children learn to read social cues? What does wearing a mask do to children psychologically as they develop? What would you tell a parent who had an irrational fear of falling objects from the sky and forced their child to wear a football helmet all day everyday? Would that be child abuse? It is just as likely a child would be struck by a random object falling from the sky as it would be for a child to die from COVID. COVID is here to stay. There are options to mitigate it, but just like a cold, you may or may not catch it. The odds of choking on food is greater than even an adults risk of dying from COVID - yet here we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off. STOP trying to infringe on our rights. This board has NO authority to place mask or vaccine mandates - I can assure you it will result in another mass exodus (if you recall the mass exodus because of your disastrous decisions to implement YOUR online learning model rather than the parent demanded in person model). GPS had to lay off so many teachers - this was FULLY the fault of GPS school board. GPS WILL cause ANOTHER mass exodus if it votes to mandate ANYTHING. Not to mention - those who vote for mandates will certainly be voting themselves off the board. Stop imposing your fears on others. If you can't handle the position, feel free to vacate your seat. https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/03/children-and-covid-transmission-your-child-is-basically-a-vaccinated-adult.html https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2021/04/vaccinated-adults-unvaccinated-kids
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Public Comment 59
Submitted by: Farrah Albright
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional for our school district. Parents know what is best for their own children and need to be the ones to make this decision. It should not be made for them. Please keep our freedom of choice and let us make the decision. Thank you.
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Public Comment 60
Submitted by: Jenifer Peterson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional
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Public Comment 61
Submitted by: Tiffany Johnson
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: I don’t want my kids wearing masks. I feel it should be a choice to wear a mask or not.
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Public Comment 62
Submitted by: Andi Gooch
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: No
Comment:I am ready to move my son back to GPS as soon as the mask and CRt are not happening. Too many studies to show there are inconsistencies and not enough data to back either of these mandates.
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Public Comment 63
Submitted by: Kelee Moon
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep mask optional for. Those feeling like they need to wear one please do not make them mandatory! It’s not to be mandated as the governor has said. Thank you!
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Public Comment 64
Submitted by: Andrea
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please protect our children by mandating masks according to the CDC recommendations
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Public Comment 65
Submitted by: Joyce Turner
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please masks optional. That is fair to both sides of the argument
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Public Comment 66
Submitted by: Lindsey Naegle
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional for families to decide what is best for their children and family. Please do not mandate masks in Public Education.
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Public Comment 67
Submitted by: Kate Hunsaker
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional!
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Public Comment 68
Submitted by: Linda Merrill
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please continue kids to Keep masks optional!!! Thank you.
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Public Comment 69
Submitted by: Brian Brinegar
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional
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Public Comment 69
Submitted by: Kori Treece
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No masks/keep masks optional
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Public Comment 70
Submitted by: Katie Zaharis
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No Mask Mandate Please
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Public Comment 71
Submitted by: Madison Hernandez
Live or Work in the District: No
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional. Thank you
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Public Comment 72
Submitted by: Katie Peterson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional!
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Public Comment 73
Submitted by: Tiffany Quackenbush
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No masks please. Let parents and kids decide and if kids want to wear a mask, they have a CHOICE!
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Public Comment 74
Submitted by: Heather Miller
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional for our children. They are largely unaffected by this virus & should not have to be masked. Even the teachers are by & large choosing not to wear masks when they're optional. This is fairly telling that they would prefer to not be masked as well. Children should not have to keep paying the price for this virus & parents should have the right to make medical decisions for their children. Masks should not be mandated for anyone, especially not our children. Please vote for what the majority of our parents want and refuse a mask mandate.
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Public Comment 75
Submitted by: Natessa Critchfield
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: No masks please
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Public Comment 76
Submitted by: Aimee Lunt
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please keep masks optional
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Public Comment 77
Submitted by: Kallie Brown
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Keep masks optional
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Public Comment 78
Submitted by: Concerned parent
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Well here we are, it’s the third week of school with over 100 active cases including one of my own children. Both of my kids are too young to be vaccinated and have been wearing masks, but I know most of their classmates and teachers are not. So because of selfishness from the adults in the community, my son is home coughing out his lungs. But freedom, am I right? How sad the kids have sacrificed so much to keep the older population safe yet you guys can’t do the same. You are a public school and should be putting public health first over the opinions of conspiracy theorist parents. Let me know who I send my son’s medical bills to, the board or Ducey.
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Public Comment 79
Submitted by: Angie Ward
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Please allow parents and students to continue to have the choice whether or not they wear a mask to school! Thank you so much.
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Public Comment 80
Submitted by: Christi Anderson
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Keep masks optional.
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Public Comments 48
Submitted by: Holly Brimhall
Live or Work in the District: Yes
Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes
Comment: Masks remain optional!!!