Utah parents propose sending children to schools without masks in defiance of state order

As the statewide mask mandate is set to expire at midnight, some Utahns are already aiming at decreasing COVID-19 restrictions further.

Starting with masks in classrooms.

“It’s not only un-American, but it is wrong to expect our children to take care of their teachers,” said Dalane England, a high school history teacher and member of the United Women’s Forum and Utah Eagle Forum. She said she believes masks make it hard for children to understand each other and affects their ability to connect with others.

Dozens of parents joined England in Farmington to rally for parental choice in the matter, one of several events planned across the state.

“So many people are convinced that (masks) are helpful, and that’s fine, that’s their choice,” said Alena Ericksen, a mother of six who has pulled her kids from the state’s public school system over masks. “The only way we will come together is accepting agency and choice and the ability to respect each other’s choices.”

She said her kids have medical issues that prevent them from wearing a mask, but the school district wouldn’t accept that.

“The cost of what this has done to society and the division that it has created is far worse than what COVID-19 would have ever done,” Ericksen said.

A Utah law passed at the end of the 2021 legislative session, HB294, puts an end to the statewide mask mandate, but a public health order requiring masks remains in effect for public schools even as the general mandate is lifted.

See My Smile, a grassroots organization backed by conservative parent groups across the state, set up rallies at school district offices all over Utah on Saturday to encourage parents and children to defy the rules at school on Monday — to walk in without masks and deliver letters and notice of their choices to administrators.

“There is no reason for them to be in masks,” said Becky Hope, a mother of four whose children haven’t complained about wearing masks to their Davis County School District schools. Still, she obtained medical exemptions for them weeks ago.

“The government is secondary to parents in raising and managing what is right for our children,” Ericksen said, citing Utah law. “And, we don’t know what we’re experimenting with.”

She said there are and will be consequences to removing human connection by “making people wear masks.”

“It’s not right,” said Mike Brown, who also has children at Davis County schools. He said evidence has shown kids aren’t major transmitters of the novel coronavirus and he’s tired of what he said are “bullying tactics” of the government.

“The government has scared everyone to death,” Brown said.

See My Smile is advocating for parents in Utah to exempt their own children from wearing masks at school and make their decisions known, starting on Monday, but repeating every day until policies change.

“This is the beginning of our parents taking back education in Utah,” said Corrine Johnson, a member of Utah Parents United, which formed the See My Smile group. She said others will follow suit and remove their “muzzles” or “face diapers,” too.

“You will be amazed at how many will follow you,” Johnson said.

The Utah Department of Health reported 407 new cases of COVID-19 in Utah on Saturday, bringing the total number of known infections to 389,760 since the pandemic began. It has claimed the lives of 2,159 Utahns, including two new deaths reported on Saturday.

The new COVID-19 deaths include a Salt Lake County woman between the ages of 65 and 84 who was a resident at a long-term care facility when she died, as well as a Utah County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of his death.

The state reports that 1.68 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Utah since December, including 32,887 since Friday. Among those are 668,371 people who are now fully vaccinated against the disease, according to vaccine manufacturer claims.

Nearly 1.1 million people in Utah have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

While parents are fighting masks in schools, state health leaders have said masks are still beneficial in helping to slow the spread of disease and have encouraged people to continue to wear them to avoid unknown transmission of COVID-19 and community spread.

Businesses, including grocery stores, hospitals and health care systems, as well as local governments, have the right to impose mandates as they see fit, according to the new law, and many have indicated they will continue to require face coverings at their establishments. The law also requires masks when groups of 50 or more people gather together for an organized event.