SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has discovered a coordinated push by the South Bend chapter of the National Education Association (NEA) to pressure county leaders to re-institute a county-wide mask mandate.
According to sources, multiple teachers and the head of the South Bend NEA sent emails to all of the members of the St. Joseph County Council with nearly the same talking points in favor of county-wide masking.
South Bend NEA President, Linda Lucy, wrote the following in an email on January 3rd:
I am requesting that the county council reinstate the emergency mask mandate for St. Joe County. The St. Joe County Health Department and hospitals are very concerned about our community with break through and other Covid cases. The authority for instituting mask mandates was changed by the Indiana legislature in July 2021 moving this responsibility from the county health department to the county council.
Only 54% of our county is vaccinated against COVID-19 (as of 12/31/21 data from the St. Joe County Health Dept.) and ALL of our area hospitals are over-capacity. Our hospitals have patients in hallways waiting for beds. If you or a friend or family member is in a car accident or has a heart attack, there will be no facility in our county available to care for such emergencies.
The SBCSC and our teachers have done their part by continuing a mask mandate from day one of the 2021-2022 school year.
We all need to do all we can to help mitigate the spread in the coming weeks. Wearing a mask will not harm most and can give an added advantage to help fight the spread.
Please reinstate a much needed mask mandate for the health and wellbeing of our community.
Lucy fails to mention how standard masking and vaccination are not having a great impact on the new Omicron variant that is currently sweeping the nation. Even NPR is reporting on the questionable efficacy of everyday masks.
RNM also obtained an email from a teacher that is nearly a carbon copy of what Lucy sent to the council.
“Hello. I am a special ed teacher in South Bend schools and I’m writing today to ask you to reinstate the emergency mask mandate for St. Joe County.” The teacher wrote. “Hospitals in the area are at or over capacity and only 54% of our county is vaccinated against COVID-19… Please reinstate a much-needed mask mandate for the health and wellbeing of our community.”
RNM called Lucy and sent her a text asking about the coordinated effort from the NEA and teachers, new CDC guidelines, masking and if the NEA should be attempting to influence anything outside of the schools. As of publication, she had not responded.
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