Petition wants to give parents the right to decide if their kids wear masks at school
Schools have come out with plans for the upcoming year, and many are requiring masks. But some parents want the choice. They want the choice about whether they send kids to school with a mask. 10 Tampa Bay anchor Allison Kropff talked to a mom and teacher on Friday who has started the petition: Parental Choice on Masks for Pinellas County students. Aden Barnes tells me she looked at research from the Academy of Pediatrics that said if a child can't wear a mask properly, they shouldn't wear one at all. She says kids will take them off or touch them. She also cites research that shows there is an incredibly low rate of the virus being transmitted to children. She thinks the plan put out by Pinellas County School is a good one, but she wants parents' concerns heard. "We just want a seat at the table. We are not against masks. No. We think that every parent should have the right to choose what is best for their student." Barnes sent the petition to Pinellas county school board members. The superintendent reached out to her and told her they are in the process of gathering community feedback. We talked with Molecular Epidemiologist, Dr. Jill Roberts at USF. She says we should be taking every measure possible to keep numbers as low as possible in schools. And she says while kids are unlikely to have severe cases, they'll spread it. "They'll spread it to their teachers, the helpers in their classroom, the people that pick them up, anyone that watches them after school, so you can see the potential exists for schools to become epicenters for infections." We also asked Dr. Roberts a few more questions about your kids wearing masks at school in the Fall. ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: / 10tampabay ►Twitter: / 10tampabay 10 Tampa Bay is the local CBS affiliate for Tampa Bay, Florida. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, and original journalism covering topics that matter most to Floridians. Subscribe for more; videos are updated daily!
