On Tuesday, the president chastised governors for blocking mask mandates.These governors, I ask you to help Biden. If you don't want to help, please at least try to get out of the way for those who are doing the right thing.Mark Lane is Decorah's superintendent. Decorah is a small Iowa town where Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds recently praised a May law that prohibits local officials from enacting mandatory mask wear. She said that the most difficult dynamic in the new school year was the loss of control.Lane stated that he had only to cancel one event last season because of masks. He now worries that anything, from a school musical to a football game, could be a potential source of an outbreak.I am proud of the work we did as a school and how we managed the past school year. He said that it was strange to feel less in control than a year ago when you enter the school year. It was not what I expected.Dennis Roche, cofounder of Burbio (which aggregates school data), said that 69 of the 200 largest school districts in the country are mandated to wear masks. Masks are being mandated in several districts around D.C. including Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery. New York City is the nation's largest school system.While the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend that face coverings be worn to school, many people consider it a personal offense to freedom.Many of the parents and Facebook groups that oppose school closings and required masking also oppose antiracism education in schools. This has led to powerful conservative organizations focused upon changing local policies.Tom Lando, a Chico Unified School District board member in northern California, said that the recall election is causing him to be discouraged by the number of letters he receives and the speakers he gets. It's almost like we googled why masks are bad and then we copy and pasted with some cuss words.
