The Sad Irony of the “Facts Not Fear” Protest

 When I saw Southern Boone County School District Superintendent Chris Felmlee getting ready to donate blood at the high school blood drive last Wednesday afternoon, I walked over and struck up a conversation with my friend and former employer. I told Mr. Felmlee that because my father was a school administrator for many years, I have a pretty good idea of how difficult his job can be. Especially in the age of Covid-19. 

“I want to thank you for always acting in the best interests of our children and their teachers,” I said. “I know that no matter what you decide to do as far as mask mandates and such, about half the population will be mad at you.”

Then I said, “I’m proud of you.”

Mr. Felmlee was moved, and he expressed his appreciation for my support. Although he didn’t say so, I could tell it meant a lot to hear words of encouragement when he is accustomed to hearing so many words of criticism. His is one job I would never, ever want.

The next day, Mr. Felmlee sent parents an email informing them that because the school board’s agreed upon threshold of active Covid cases and/or students in quarantine was reached at the elementary school, students and staff would be required to wear masks in the school building for the next two weeks. Not a big deal. I wore a mask every day that I subbed last school year, as did every teacher and student in the district. The kids didn’t complain. They just did what they were told. They knew it was the right thing to do, and I was very impressed by the way they handled it.

If only all of the grown-ups in Ashland could handle themselves with such maturity. Last Friday morning, on the first day of the temporary mask mandate, a group of picket-wielding protesters showed up at the elementary school during student drop-off and voiced their displeasure with the district-approved masking decision. This group of individuals chose to protest in plain view of young children who were being dropped off by their parents, which caused some kids to become worried about the strangers gathered in front of the school.

One of the signs held by a protester read, “Facts not Fear.” Well, the unfortunate fact is that by deciding to hold their protest in front of innocent schoolchildren instead of the administrators at the district office building, many children were frightened. Several parents I know reported that their kids were scared that the strangers might break into the school and do bad things to the kids. And who can blame the youngsters for thinking the worst? Afterall, we force them to endure intruder drills and active shooter training twice a year. We force them to think about life and death when uninvited strangers show up at school.

 

To this group of “peaceful protesters” I say this: Shame on you. How dare you trespass upon school property and terrify little kids? You have every right to disagree with the district’s board and administrators, but you have absolutely no right to upset small children and disrupt their school day while pushing your political agenda.

 

Shame on every single one of you.

You owe those kids, their parents, and the teachers who had to take time away from their lessons in order to explain the distressing disruption to their students an apology. I challenge you to write your apology in the form of a letter to the editor of this newspaper. I further challenge you to not use your letter as a means to push your agenda. You need to simply and sincerely apologize for your actions, explain why they were wrong, and promise to do better next time.

Save your protests for the next school board meeting. If you still don’t get the results you desire, you have options. Home schooling, virtual learning, and private schools are all choices that are available to you. Or you could just send your kids to school with a mask and tell them how proud you are of them for doing what they can to keep everybody healthy.