By Katie Henry
Pittsboro, NC – The following letter was submitted by to the Chatham County School Board yesterday.
Dear CCS School Board and CCS Administration,
Please take a moment to review the slides [link] I have prepared in support of why you should vote for removal of mask mandates effective immediately. I have provided comparison views for Chatham County and other districts who have voted for optional masking policies effective immediately or have had them in place for several months.
Slide 2 shows the total cases per 100,000 residents since March 2020 is very low in comparisonSlide 3, 4 and 5 show the trending reduction of case counts for CCS students and staffSlide 6 and 7 show the trending reduction of case counts for overall Chatham County Both in the county and the schools are showing a sharp reduction of over 50% of decrease in casesSlide 9 and 10 are showing the comparison of the benchmark data for 7-day case rates per 100,000 residents. Chatham County is currently at 126 which is well over the desired level. Please note that all other Optional Masking Counties are well above both Benchmark level and Chatham County’s level.Slide 11 and 12 are showing the comparison of the benchmark data for test percent positivity rates. Chatham County is currently at 8.1% which again is over the desired level. Please note that all other Optional Masking Counties are well above both Benchmark level and Chatham County’s level.Slide 13 and 14 are showing the comparison of vaccination rates by counties. Chatham County has a 59% vaccination rate Slide 15 shows a comparison of covid cases versus vaccination counts for school age population (this data is never highlighted in board meetings and should be a focus)Slide 16 shows the trending data for vaccination counts for school age population YTD
This move needs to happen immediately. Please do not delay this important decision for our children any longer. Our community and our schools are not more susceptible than all the surrounding districts who have said “effective immediately”. Vaccines and testing are here and available to all. Do not use this as an excuse to delay. People who want to be vaccinated have done so and by delaying the option to remove masks till March 7 will not improve on that number enough to justify the delay.
I implore you to amend the motion tomorrow night and follow the lead of local school boards who have met this week to vote for optional masking. We are asking for the choice to remove our children’s mask for those who want to do so and to remain in masks for those who wish to continue. There are no more excuses and there is no reason to delay.
Respectfully,
The Henry Family
Editors note: We have seen that concerned moms in Chatham County aren’t the only ones upset with their local school boards. Watch the “Parents are mad: An explanation” video below.