Main idea: Schools are forcing us into compliance because they are the machines of compliance and it’s the only thing they know how to do. Ironic, huh?
Most districts have been back at school for nearly two months now.
- Are your kids in-person or virtual, and what has the experience been like so far?
- How are your schools handling contact?
- Are we better at it than we were last year?
We are hearing so many tales of unruly parents like this story of parents yelling at school board members. But also hearing stories like this one from 2020’s election cycles when parents began running for School Board seats to make a difference.
- What are the concerns and complaints you are hearing from other parents?
- What are the concerns and complaints you are hearing from your kids’ teachers and staff?
We are not unsympathetic to people who work in this environment when they feel their own health is at risk, but this year we know much more than we did last year about this virus and ways to prevent transmission, and also you can be vaccinated if you choose to do so. As Libertarians, we’re generally opposed to mandates, so we believe people should do what they think is right, and it should be voluntarily. We talked in our last episode about being part of a community and the respect we owe to one another.
Masks have been a very hot topic in that regard, especially as it relates to school. Is “masking up” a choice each parent should make for their own kid? Why or why not?
How does the system of “mandatory school” impact a parent’s choice? It isn’t like we even have a choice to send them. If they miss too many days you can be fined or jailed. I (Kasie) honestly feel like I didn’t know how oppressive school was until my kid went into it and I’m like, “mother fucker! Did we have all this mandated oppressive shit, too? Or has it just gotten worse?”
*One of the things that I think makes me (Jessica) most angry is when people make the comment that “schools are not daycares”. Well, of course schools are not daycares, but how many parents rely upon school not only for providing their child an education, but also so that they can work to support them? This “problem” is created by a system that mandates parents to send their kids to school under force of mandate, and funded by the tax dollars they pay.
How is this different from previous years when teachers wiped kids’ snotty noses and expected to have at least one bout with cold or flu during the winter? Haven’t we rendered COVID all but benign with the vaccine?
We can’t possibly keep everyone 100% safe, and expecting that mandates will do the job is unreasonable.
Parenting Porcupines 