Rockingham County Parents Plan to Pull Kids Out of School Due to New Mask Mandate
Things are looking pretty dark for kids in Rockingham County. Rockingham County Schools will require students to wear masks in the classroom after a vote by the Board of Education on Friday. Several parents plan to unenroll their children following the vote.
The 4-3 decision is a reversal of a vote 10 days ago that would have made face coverings optional for students. A majority of parents opposed the mandate during the public comment period at the emergency meeting on Friday. During a presentation by an epidemiologist from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, parents interrupted comments made by the board.
Several parents expressed support for the provision, worried about being exposed during the quarantine period. According to CBS17, parents began walking out before the vote was finalized. An attendee named Tonya McBride said after the meeting she would ask her grandchildren if they want to be homeschooled.
“We’re supposed to be living in the USA, we’re supposed to have our freedoms and our choices, and slowly but surely they’re taking that away,” she said. “They know if they can breathe or not in those masks. A lot of them have breathing issues like some of the parents said they don’t want to force these kids to wear these masks.
