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Submitted by: Amber Rohner

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please continue to allow parents to decide what is best for their children when it comes to masks. I do not want people who do not have children in our school district who I voted for to represent MY CHILDREN for me masking decisions that do not represent my sentiments. No mask mandates!
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Submitted by: Wendy Coleman

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Hello, thank you board members for your time and consideration. I am issuing a comment that I am against mask mandates for the 91茄子 School District, and want the matter of masks to continue to be a family decision, not forced by schools. If people want to wear them or have their kids wear them, wonderful. For those who don't wish to wear them, great. It should be a personal choice!
Public Comment 340

Submitted by: Ashley lebaron

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please leave masks optional for the kids. There are a number of reasons why I feel strongly that we should have the right to choose weather we want to have our own children wearing masks for 8 hrs a day. There are so many side effects that effect the health of these children for bad as a result of wearing these masks for extended periods of time. I understand if some parents want to CHOOSE to have their children wear them but i should also have the right to CHOOSE if my child is subject to wearing a mask for 8 hrs a day. Thank you for your consideration.
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Submitted by: Misty Austin

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: As a public school that should support science, mask mandates should absolutely be put in place to protect our children and the community from Covid. Cases are on the rise and my family has already received multiple exposure emails from the school. We are only 3 weeks into the school year. Hospitals are filling up and it is imperative that the school board do what is necessary to protect students in GPS.
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Submitted by: Christine Merrill

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: My family has been apart of the gilbert public schools since my oldest was a kindergartner.. he is now a senior at DRH.. we also have a sophomore, a freshman, and a 5th grader who attends Augusta Ranch Elementary.. all 4 of my children have enjoyed they education career up until the schools decided it was there job to decide what's safe for there health in making them wear masks all year last year. I wanted to let you know that if you decide to bring back the masks, we are more than happy to UNENROLL every single one of our kids from your schools and will gladly home school them or find a better option for there mental health. As parents it is OUR responsibility to make sure our kids are protected. Not yours. Masks should stay OPTIONAL! If families choose to wear a mask. So be it. If families choose not to.. then so be it.. In my opinion as a parent, I believe the mask does more harm than good.. if we continue to mask up, then our own immune system that was designed to fight off virus' will become to week to fight. Our kiddos immune systems need the practice! Mask only prevent that from happening.. so please, please keep masks optional so we don't have to make the difficult decision to pull our kids from your district.
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Submitted by: Claudia Smith-Cruz

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: It’s sad that we have to LITERALLY BEG to protect our kids. I have 4 kids in 4 different schools. We should be protecting our kids!! My daughter’s teacher is out with covid. Now I have to worry she may have gotten it because teachers and staff and students don’t wear a mask! Mandate MASKS please ! What’s it going to take? For children to start dying?!!? Is that what tot want?!?!
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Submitted by: Anna Bloxham

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I support students being REQUIRED to wear masks indoors until such a time it is safer, especially since at least half the students in our schools are too young for the option of a vaccine. We cannot ignore this virus and we need to continue the efforts we know can work.
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Submitted by: Kim Clar

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Dear Governing Board: As a parent with four children in 91茄子 Public Schools, I urge you to please create stronger mitigation strategies for the children in 91茄子 Public Schools by doing the following: 1) Follow the Maricopa County Department of Public Health directive to require students to quarantine after close contact exposures. 2) Require masks on school buses per CDC Order (https://www.maricopa.gov/.../MCDPH-K-12-School-Guidance | page 3 | point 1.3). 3) Improve the COVID-19 dashboard accuracy and provide daily updates so that parents can better determine whether they want their children in the class if in the even there are higher case counts. 4) Strongly encourage mask wearing. We understand that 91茄子 Public Schools will not mandate masks however we believe through more direct language, you can strongly encourage or EXPECT students and faculty to wear masks to help slow the spread of the virus. I believe these mitigation strategies will help make our schools safer for all students at a time when we are in high community spread in all GPS school zip codes. Our family has been diligent in taking precautions for the past year and a half, and have been fortunate to avoid infection so far. At the current pace of exposure in our schools, I fear we won't be as fortunate much longer. I understand that there is only so much that can be done at this point. However, the above measures can and will reduce cases and help parents to make the important decisions they are faced in regards to their children. Fortunately, our Elementary School has taken some recent precautions that I am very pleased with (virtual assemblies, cancellation of events, encouraging families to take precautions), however we still have multiple cases and exposures in elementary classrooms where 100% of the students are unable to be vaccinated. I urge you to implement extra precautions until the vaccine is available to those students under 12. At that point, the parents can choose what is best for their family. However, at this point the choices others make will directly affect those who are concerned about their children being infected with their virus. Thank you for your consideration.
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Submitted by: Tricia Dana

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: My 11 yr old told me “no masks” are the best thing that has ever happened to her. She was one who had decided last year she preferred not showing her face anymore and wanted to hide behind her mask:(. I thought the charter schools did no masks and they had the same covid numbers as us. We’ve got the vaccine, and kids get over being sick. Also what about the new info on lack of oxygen and mold in masks? I mean at least don’t make the elementary kids.
Public Comment 373

Submitted by: Dr. Kiera Lane

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: In light of the increase in cases of Delta variant, the increase in transmission, severity of those getting sick, coupled with colds, flus and viruses of the fall season it is vital to urgently reinstate masks in the school especially in K-6 graders in children at risk who don’t yet have access to vaccines. As a physician and mother of a 2nd grader, I am seeing increased severity and transmission of COVID19 cases of healthy people and I am worried for my patients and my child. Wearing a mask in not a political statement. It is a simple way to lessen the transition of illness and protect our kids. If you want to keep kids in school then wear mask to avoid a rise in illness, absences, and severe illness. We need to protect those who cannot - our kids! Reinstate masks for the fall. If things improve then reassess. For now it’s the best thing to do to protect the health of our youth. Thank you, Dr. Lane
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Submitted by: Amie Perea

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: If we look at what is happening throughout the South, it is obvious that schooling is being disrupted for kids in areas that cannot mandate masks because of government intervention. With thousands in quarantine in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee and entire schools forced to return to remote learning it makes no sense to continue ahead, thinking our outcome will be different. Children belong in schools. Masks can help minimize disruptions. Last year school went fairly smoothly. As a family we have received more COVID-19 exposure notices in the last two weeks than all of last year. Please. Please join other school districts in putting student's health and education first.
Public Comment 378

Submitted by: Andrea B

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Dear Governing Board: As a parent with children in Mesquite Elementary, Mesquite Junior High, and 91茄子 High, I urge you to please create stronger mitigation strategies for the children in 91茄子 Public Schools by doing the following: 1) Follow the Maricopa County Department of Public Health directive to require students to quarantine after close contact exposures. 2) Require masks on school buses per CDC Order (https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/70679/MCDPH-K-12-School-Guidance | page 3 | point 1.3). 3) Improve the COVID-19 dashboard accuracy and provide daily updates so that parents can better determine whether they want their children in the class if in the even there are higher case counts. 4) Strongly encourage mask wearing. We understand that 91茄子 Public Schools will not mandate masks however we believe through more direct language, you can strongly encourage or EXPECT students and faculty to wear masks to help slow the spread of the virus. I believe these mitigation strategies will help make our schools safer for all students at a time when we are in high community spread in all GPS school zip codes. -Andrea Bell
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Submitted by: Meghann

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Listen to the experts: "The American Academy of Pediatricians, an organization of 70,000 pediatricians, has called on schools to enforce universal masking mandates." This is all I need to know. I listen to doctors and I trust them to protect our children. I am calling on the board to listen to the advise of medical experts like the AAP and the CDC. Mandate masks at least at the elementary level in GPS to protect those children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.
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Submitted by: Staci

Live or Work in the District: No

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I have kids in 3 different GPS schools…elementary Junior High & High School…It should be my choice if I send them to school with or without a mask. What is good for my family may not be the same for another family which is totally ok. We should all have the right to choose what we feel is best for us.
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Submitted by: Natalia Smith

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: Please stop forcing children to put on a face mask to receive an in person education. Children need to be free to learn, exercise self express, social skills… with out masks constricting them. We should be free to choose whether or not to mask our children.
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Submitted by: Mary

Live or Work in the District: Yes

Child(ren) attending a GPS school: Yes

Comment: I would like to see the board use clear evidence to discuss why they would or would not mandate masking. They expect teachers to learn from experts to teach our children, so we should hold them to the same bar. Here is a statement from the American Acadamy of Pedicatricians, "AAP recommends universal masking because a significant portion of the student population is not yet eligible for vaccines, and masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated," the AAP wrote in a statement. "Many schools will not have a system to monitor vaccine status of students, teachers and staff, and some communities overall have low vaccination uptake where the virus may be circulating more prominently."
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