Even though Seattle mask mandates were lifted, one school district’s Teacher Union has demanded to keep the mandates in the classroom just a little longer. Their reason is mindboggling. Teachers argue mask requirements bring a sense of “normalcy” to children… I kid you not!
Beginning on March 11 Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat has lifted his state’s indoor mask mandate. Including in schools but teachers want took keep the masks on to feed the illusion of safety and normalcy.
‘Masks contribute to feelings of safety and normalcy that schools provide our students,’ according to a letter from the labor group. ‘Removing masks will significantly disrupt that sense of normalcy, and educators will struggle to explain to students why we are removing masks so soon.’
The Seattle school system acknowledged that it was handcuffed by the union and could not move forward to lift the face-covering restriction.
Public school administrators said that they will have to ‘negotiate with the Seattle Education Association, as required by the current collective bargaining agreement, to arrive at a mutually agreeable position regarding any permanent change to mask use requirements throughout the district.’
Seattle entrepreneur Steve Murch took to Twitter to denounce the union’s seeming arbitrary position outlined in their letter.
Seattle’s teacher union argues for mask mandate until May 1st because “removing masks will significantly disrupt that sense of normalcy.”
It doesn’t get any more Orwellian than that. pic.twitter.com/mT6APpAko6
— Justin Spiro, LCSW (@Jusrangers) March 6, 2022
“Across King county, and across the state, school districts will have to make decisions about how to approach masking once rules have lifted.
Masks will become optional for students and staff in the Mercer Island School District after March 12.
By email, Superintendent Donna Colosky wrote: “I ask that our community be respectful and sensitive to the individual decisions our staff and families will make on whether or not to wear a mask after March 12. No one in our schools should feel harassed or intimidated by their decision to wear or not to wear a face covering.”