Letter to the editor: reconsider masking BOE

On Monday, February 14th, at the regularly scheduled Watauga County School Board meeting, I along with some other parents served the board members, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Finance Officer with Letters of Intent to file insurance claims against their surety bonds. Those of us who made the choice to take this step against the school board and the administration did not do so lightly. You see for the past six months I have been trying to get the school board to reconsider their position of forced masking of our children.

I along with many others believe that medical decisions for our children is a right of the parent, and should not in any way be usurped by our government. Especially when there is no true data that supports the forced wearing of masks for children. The costs to our children, (increased depression, increased anxiety, loss of development of social skills, loss of actual learning) far outweigh the very minuscule possible benefit that wearing a mask provides.

In fact my own daughter was physically harmed by being forced to wear a mask, and had to undergo eye surgery to correct the issue. Our school board has ignored repeated requests to engage in a public two way discourse where parents could ask questions of them and their "experts" so we could get answers. Instead they have hidden behind parliamentary procedures (without even attempting to adjust them...which the Avery County School Board has agreed to at least look into), ignored parent emails, and literally walked away from parents when they try to ask them questions.

Instead our board members, (who none of them have a child attending a school in our district), have engaged in a policy of "we know what is better for your child than you do. So you should just be quiet." Those of us who have stood up against the autocracy of this board have been accused of engaging in Qanon supported tactics by the Superintendent. Since when is wanting to ask questions and get answers in a public forum regarding medical decisions being made for our children Qanon?

When did holding our elected officials accountable to the oaths they swore become a conspiracy theory? When did wanting to be able to make medical decisions for my child become radical? The members of the Watauga County School Board have stated in no uncertain terms, they do not have to answer to or even engage with the parents of Watauga County. So when they finally lift the mask mandate, we cannot let that be the end. As parents we have to let them know we will not forget the damage they have done to our kids. In November we must elect members to our board who will actually serve the parents and students of Watauga County, and not their own egos.

Michael Ackerman

Banner Elk