By Cheryl Jahn

Petition launched to push for student masks

Jan 7, 2021 | 3:48 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – What started as a modest request from an eight-year-old girl in the form of a picture and ended up with an online petition urging the Board of Education for School District 57 to make masks mandatory in the classrooms.

Specifically, Zoe Meletis’ reads: Dear parents, teachers, SD 57 staff, Prince George neighbours, and friends, Please consider signing this petition to demand that the SD 57 Board of Education adopt a mandatory mask policy for all school-attending children (with medical exceptions). This is an important step that must be taken NOW given that Northern Health recently (Jan. 6th) reported a positivity rate of 16.5%. An all-ages mandatory masking policy would allow our school district to join many others taking smart proactive actions such as this (e.g. 2 Calgary boards; a board in Halton; a board in Guelph; many boards across the country and elsewhere). This policy would increase student, staff, and community safety by requiring that all school attending children in the district wear masks at school, including inside their classrooms (as we have heard from the PGDTA, CUPE, and the BCTF).

“In no other place can so many unmasked people gather together. And I just think we have to do this now. Our school district can be leaders on this,” says Meletis. “It’s right in their Charter that they’re supposed to protect students. They’re supposed to be responsive to communities. They’re supposed to show value of everyone connected to the district and that’s what w’re calling on them to do.”

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The petition is located on change.org