For over a year my grandsons, who live in San Francisco, have not set foot in their schools Rather than working on safety measures for re-opening schools, the ultra-liberal San Francisco School Board has squabbled about renaming schools honoring figures linked to historical racism or oppression rather than prioritizing projects to re-open schools. Fortunately, we have the opposite situation in our community. Our School Board has worked tirelessly to keep our schools opened and is the only AA district in Montana that opened every school day. Having our students in school has not been easy with extra burdens of finding substitute teachers, with social distancing, with mask wearing and extra cleanliness measures. These measures, including mask wearing are essential for a safe environment. Had these measures not been in place, our schools would have likely shut down within a few months.
Unfortunately, our School Board trustees have been harassed by individuals against the school mask ordinance. Even though a massive body of evidence demonstrates masks reduce the transmission of the virus, these individuals insist no one can tell them what to do, even if it is to protect teachers and other students. This is like saying it is your God given right to drive while intoxicated. No, it is not your right to risk killing others with alcohol or the coronavirus.
We have these same individuals who do not believe in masks, public education, or science, challenging incumbent trustees in the upcoming school board elections. We do not want a divisive board detracting from supporting the children, teachers, and administrators in our schools. Please support our current trustees up for re-election (Lance Isaak, Sue Corrigan, Rebecca Linden, Amy Waller, and Kim Wilson) who have worked hard and done an amazing job of keeping our schools functioning.
Carol Santa
Kalispell