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Letter to the Editor

On Tuesday, September 6, the Polk County Board of Education, on short notice and without the input of parents and the public, put into effect a mask mandate on all students. Contrary to a statement by the minority party, this was clearly against the wishes of parents as demonstrated at last month’s Board meeting and no doubt will again be expressed at the next board meeting.

The minority party disingenuously speaks of keeping politics out of the schools and of ‘following the science’, but they are uninterested in “Doing what’s best for children”. Numerous studies make it clear that children and young adults are more likely to be struck by lightning than to suffer serious illness or death from Covid-19. Studies show that masking and isolating children is harmful to their physical and mental well-being and may cause permanent physical and mental damage. 

The minority party cites the high ranking that Polk County schools have achieved to justify allowing school administrators free rein over decisions affecting student’s health and education. Parents and taxpayers have not given up their rights to ultimately decide school policy because teachers and administrators have done their jobs in the past. Also, those rankings were not achieved with masked or quarantined schoolchildren. School performance has been shown to have been damaged terribly by masking and isolation during this pandemic. 

So why is the minority party pushing the mandate agenda? They say “…this is not about personal liberty”. When you hear the minority party say that, then you know that it is exactly about our personal liberty. The party of ‘choice’ is about mandates: mandates for masks or vaccines or whatever else they deem necessary in the future. The party of ‘science’ is about ignoring the truth in order to control your lives and indoctrinate your children. The minority party is about control, it’s just that simple.

As this statement is being written, President Biden is issuing executive orders to force vaccines and other mandates on many Americans. He does not have the constitutional authority to do this, as local boards do not have the authority to enforce their mandates. 

The minority party claims that opposition to the school board’s actions is only ‘a small, vocal group’. Was it only a small vocal group that turned out a large majority of parents and concerned citizens at the last regular school board meeting? Was it a small vocal group which elected Republicans to all five seats on the Polk County Board of Commissioners? Was it a small vocal group which celebrated Independence Day in Columbus this year while the minority party was nowhere to be seen? Will it be a small vocal group which decides the outcome of the next school board elections?

No, it is a large, patriotic group which will make itself heard and determine the future of Polk County. The Republican Party of Polk County is ready to aid parents and citizens in this fight to protect our schoolchildren and all citizens. Through the efforts of the Republican Party of Polk County and other patriotic citizens, Polk County has declared itself a Constitutional County. Our primary purpose is to support and defend that Constitution. The Republican Party of Polk County stands ready, as always, to defend the freedoms which are an American’s birthright and to do so fearlessly. 

Gene Comiskey 

Tryon