‘Muzzle the school board.’ Anti-mask banner flies over Ohio town on first day of class
_fitted.png "An anti-mask banner flew overhead in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, during the first day of the 2021-2022 school year.")
A northeast Ohio town received a hard-to-miss message on the first day of school Thursday, when a black and white banner unfurled in the sky above reading: “MUZZLE THE SCHOOL BOARD NOT OUR KIDS!”
A Chagrin Falls dad snapped some pictures of the airplane buzzing overhead and the banner flying behind it and shared them to Twitter.
“This is what my kids get on the first day of school in Northeast (Ohio),” he tweeted.
Earlier this month, the Chagrin Falls school board voted to mandate masks for students in kindergarten through sixth grade during the 2021-2022 school year, Cleveland.com reported, despite some opposition from residents.
Some argued that masks inhibit student’s learning and that requiring masks infringes on their right as parents to do what they believe is best for their child, the outlet reported.
“I believe in freedom, and anyone who wants to wear a mask should be free to wear a mask. But please, let me be free to make decisions for my own children,” one parent said, according to Cleveland.com.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently urged school districts statewide to implement mask mandates, the Columbus Dispatch reported, though he is not requiring them to do so.
“Ohioans are united in wishing all our children will have a school year… to stay in class with in-person learning without interruption,” DeWine said, according to the Dispatch. “That goal is now clearly at risk.”
Children are returning to class as COVID-19 cases climb, and few kids — just 35% of those 12 to 17 — are vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.
“The best way to make sure that your child can stay in school and not have his or her classes interrupted is for that child to be vaccinated,” DeWine said in a statement. “If that child cannot be vaccinated, then (the) best way to ensure a good school year is for that child to wear a mask in class.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 2:15 PM with the headline "‘Muzzle the school board.’ Anti-mask banner flies over Ohio town on first day of class."