The mother of two students in Georgia has accused an official of not wearing a mask at school in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming they would not stop the spread and could be used as weapons.
Jennifer Whitlock addressed a meeting of the Paulding County School District of Education on Wednesday night, saying there was not enough evidence to support claims that face covering is stopping the spread of the virus among children.
‘I always thought my children were safe. The threat of this virus is no different from other diseases that schools treat on a daily basis – strep, flu, pink eye, croup, worms, ‘Whitlock told the board.
‘All that occur in children. Is the China virus prevalent in children? she asked.
Whitlock went on to argue that masks can be detrimental to a student’s communication skills, and that they can negatively affect cognitive development.
She also added that face covering could be transformed into ‘weapons’ in the classroom – including slingshot and blindfolds.
Jennifer Whitlock urged officials not to force mask wear in schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. She is pictured speaking at a Paulding County School District Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night
‘As much as we’re afraid of the unknown, the only thing I know is that God is in control,’ she stated, before receiving a loud round of applause at the end of her speech.
Whitlock’s lawsuit against officials comes despite studies that have shown that wearing a mask can carry the risk of transmitting the virus because it disperses drops of water as they breathe, cough and talk.
One peer-reviewed study in the Lancet shows wearing a mask cuts the risk of transmission from 17 percent to 3 percent.
On April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated advice on coronavirus transmission to recommend that Americans wear masks.
President Trump has even back-flipped over his anti-masked stance, and recently gave a face-covering.
Whitlock spoke as one school in its district remained closed for a third day, following confirmed cases of COVID-19.
At least three staff members and six students from North Paulding High School tested positive for the virus, forcing the school to close.
Last week, a photo of students walking in without a face mask went to school, viral on social media.
At least three staff members and six students from North Paulding High School tested positive for the virus, forcing the school to close. Last week, a photo of students walking in without a face mask went viral on social media
Meanwhile, at least 1,000 students from a school district in neighboring Cherokee County are now in quarantine following the repayment of person classes last week.
The 42,000-student district, which is just outside Atlanta, said on Monday that 38 students and 12 teachers tested positive for the virus during the week that classes resumed.
Those asked to be quarantined were identified as part of the neighborhood contact effort as people who may have come into close contact with an infected student or teacher.
The school district attracted national attention last week when a photo of students at Etowah High School clashed together to wear photos of first-day-of-school without a mask.
Schools in the Cherokee County neighborhood of Georgia have quarantined more than 1,000 students for 14 days because of possible exposure to coronavirus. District drew national attention last week when a photo of students at Etowah High School together for first-day-of-school senior photos without masks was printed
Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Brian Hightower sent a letter home to parents stating that many of the seniors in those photos wear ‘masks’ routines, even though the school does not require them.
The school district places information on all confirmed infections and quarantines on its website in a bid to be transparent.
‘As made clear in our review of school curriculum, we expected positive testing to occur among students and staff, which is why we are deploying a system to quickly contact track, quarantine mandate, inform parents and cases and quarantines report to the entire community, ”said Cherokee spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby.
“We do not doubt students and staff in quarantine who have had possible exposure – even if the positive test was prompted by possible exposure instead of symptoms.”
No statewide mask mandate is currently in place in Georgia, but the Cherokee County School District has encouraged students to wear them.
It comes as Georgia Mayor Brian Kemp said on Monday that the reopening of some of the state’s schools was going well amid the pandemic outbreak – except for the widely shared photos of students filled out without masks.
Students at Sequoyah High School change classes on 4th day of first week of face-to-face school in Cherokee County
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