Editor’s note: The following testimony was written by Sitka resident Brett Wilcox and read before the Sitka School Board at its Feb. 2 meeting. Sitka students are currently required to mask throughout the entire school day (except to eat) regardless of vaccination status.
We hold you responsible for damaging our children with unscientific Covid mitigation strategies, including the worthless and dangerous practice of masking children.
In August 2021, you were emailed mask related references for research spanning decades – research that consistently comes to the same conclusion: masks don’t work against viruses. We hold you responsible for all damage caused by the continued enforcement of your anti-scientific mask policy.
We hold you responsible for the lifelong psychological trauma that you have caused by teaching young children that human breath is dangerous.
We hold you responsible for the increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, OCD, fear, anger, shame, and hatred that are playing out in some children’s lives as a direct result of your mask mandate.
We hold you responsible for the developmental delays caused by your mask mandate: including language acquisition, spoken language clarity, facial muscle development caused by decreased and hampered speech, and the reduced ability to recognize and respond to facial cues.
The masking of children has resulted and will result in several known and unknown medical consequences including:
* Brain damage caused by excess carbon dioxide and decreased oxygen levels
* Decreased oral hygiene and increase dental caries caused by mask mouth
* Viral and bacterial illnesses caused by the rebreathing of waste collected on masks, especially the masks of young children
* Illnesses caused by the inhalation of carcinogenic mask materials.
* Impaired immune systems rendering children more susceptible to a wide range of illnesses.
We hold you responsible for these medical issues.
We hold you responsible for fostering an environment in which misinformed teachers are emboldened and empowered to bully, harass, abuse, punish, and grade children based on nonsensical mask compliance issues.
We hold you responsible for burdening children with the cruel threat of virtual school if they take off their masks.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
We hold you responsible for teaching children that most adults can’t be trusted, for fostering an environment where informed students are afraid to speak the truth.
We hold you responsible for not assuming responsibility, for passing the buck, for blaming the former superintendent, the assembly, Smart Start teams, medical authorities, and public health officials, etc.
Finally, your Covid mitigation strategies, including the masking of children have resulted in measurable decreased and delayed academic performance. For some children, these delays will result in lifelong ramifications affecting every aspect of their lives.
In this point, you have failed individually and collectively in your duties as school board members – you have failed Sitka students.
If you have any hope of redeeming yourselves morally and professionally, you will remove masks from the faces of children and remove the shackles from their minds caused by your ill-conceived and illogical mask policy.
You will apologize for the harm caused by your policy. You will apologize for passing the buck, for not taking responsibility. You will, to the best of your ability, make amends for your egregious error in judgement and lack of character.
If you fail to make things right, then we stand as witnesses against you.
We hold you responsible.
The views expressed here are those of the author.
