Letter to the editor: Make your voice heard about school mask mandates
To the editor,
Tone-deaf leaders have needlessly put students at risk
– Last week, the Paso Robles School Board had the chance to read the writing on the wall and drop the face mask enforcement before the public pushback on the ridiculousness of it all got out of hand. They did not take that opportunity. Just two men, in fact, blocked the 7-member board from even discussing the matter. With the board meeting scheduled every two weeks, it is fair to say that the blowback on the ridiculous mask policies has now gotten out of hand.
Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, approximately 50 students walked into Paso Robles High School unmasked. Those 50 students did so in violation of state, county, and district policy — a district enforcement policy that would not exist if it were not for the shameful behavior of “conservative” board President Chris Arend and his thick-as-thieves chum “conservative” district superintendent Curt Dubost. These two consider it the board’s duty to be the local enforcers of the ineffective and unsafe mask policies that the maskless Governor Gavin Newsom recommends. To hear them talk about it makes it seem like they think the machinations of Gavin Newsom and his inner circle are “the law.” There is no law that mandates face mask wearing, in fact, the mandating of face masks appears to be against the law.
The pair are so pro-mask that they have connived and broken school district bylaws to avoid the board from voting on this matter and may have broken state law in the process. This is not stop the two from publicly proclaiming that they oppose the face mask mandates. I am calling on the two to step down or the board must remove them. They are a danger to the students and a danger to the community.
The cronyism between the two is exactly the kind of cronyism that has gotten the district into so much trouble in the past, and it is exactly the type of cronyism that a grand jury warned the board to stop engaging in. The board may not be listening, but many members of the community are. That cronyism is not acceptable.
Tuesday morning, freshman and seniors alike walked into Paso Robles High School maskless, announcing that they were done with the mandates. They walked into the classroom and went about their business not under “the new normal” but under the true normal. In doing so, they risked strict disciplinary action and risked having their academic records permanently marred.
This did not have to happen. This was not a risk the students had to take. But the tone-deaf Dubost and Arend insisted that “their district” had to act like Newsom’s local mask Nazis. I have news for them. It is not their district. They work for the people of this community. They serve at the will and invitation of the people of this community. And standing up to this pair’s senseless, dangerous behavior is no reason the youth of this community should have their permanent records marred.
That’s why last night I introduced the following to the board’s agenda committee for placement on the next meeting’s agenda.
“The students of this community see the power of peaceful resistance as demonstrated by the truckers in Canada and elsewhere. Further, it is clear that the mask mandate is not uniformly applied in California as witnessed in the Superbowl. Lastly, we know that students in other states are not wearing masks and are remaining safe. Therefore, the students have decided to utilize our constitutionally guaranteed rights to say that it is time to return to normalcy and to restore our rights.
“This district will provide a blanket exoneration to all students, who, at any time, have broken or will break health mandates. No students will heretofore receive disciplinary action. Any disciplinary action currently being undertaken will cease. No school records will be marred by such action. No attendance records will be marred by such action. No students will be kept out of class. All school records marred by such behavior will have that behavior expunged from those records.”
Please contact board members and ask them to support this.
This community must not only back these brave students, it must unmask all students and staff, and it must see to it that the mask Nazis of 2020 and beyond are removed from power and never trusted with this authority again. That must not be the goal only at the school district, but across the county and state. It all starts here. It all starts now. These brave students began something that will not be turned back by any charlatan commanding false authority over them.
The next meeting of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at 800 Niblick Road in Paso Robles. Mark your calendar and make your voice heard. The board will hear the above policy and two face mask optional policies. They will take public comment before they take action on those policies.
Silence in the face of such evil perpetrated on the youth is support of that evil. I, for one, will not be silent.
Who is with me?
Signed,
Allan Stevo
Community activist and author of “Face Masks in One Lesson” and “Face Masks Hurt Kids”
Editor’s note: Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are the personal opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.
