Face masking in the schools: Is Marty Polio the boss of Daniel Cameron?
In our “You’re not the boss of me” society, it's hard to determine a chain of command.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Tuesday 8-16-22 urged the Jefferson Co. Board of Education to end the mask mandate for Jefferson Co. public schools. In his letter he referenced many studies proving that face masks do not work to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Board voted 4-3 not to take up the discussion. To whom do they answer?
Are parents the bosses of the Jefferson Co. Board of Education (JCBE)? Is Attorney General Cameron the boss of the JCBE or the Ky Board of Education (KBE)? Is Marty Polio, JCPS Superintendent, the boss of AG Cameron? Is the CDC the overall head?
In the Ky Constitution, the Duties of the Attorney General are stated:
The Attorney General is the chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and all of its departments, commissions, agencies, and political subdivisions, and the legal adviser of all state officers, departments, commissions, and agencies, and when requested in writing shall furnish to them his or her written opinion touching any of their official duties, and shall prepare proper drafts of all instruments of writing required for public use, and shall exercise all common law duties and authority pertaining to the office of the Attorney General under the common law, except when modified by statutory enactment.
The Ky Board of Education (KBE) is an administrative body within the Department of Education (KDE) which is part of the Ky Education and Labor Cabinet that supports the Ky system of public schools. Its directors are appointed by the Governor— BUT the Attorney General is the adviser of ALL STATE OFFICERS. So, I’m betting on General Cameron to get rid of the mask mandate.
Then again, the KDE must also answer to the federal government. And, we know that Gov. Beshear is extremely litigious and would balk at a challenge to his control, so by the time AG Cameron would pursue his rightful duty to advise the KBE and the Governor, what year would it be? And can he advise the federal government?
The term ‘adviser’ does not pack the punch it once did. On the other hand, Roe was only an Opinion of the Supreme Court and it enforced abortion in the U.S. for nearly 50 years.
Follow the Guidance
JCPS may be the only school system in Ky adhering to the official policy of the Governor by mandating masks for students and teachers. However, on the Ky Public Health COVID-19 website it is stated that ALL schools must comply with a procedure ‘related to their local level of community burden’ which is based on CDC-issued statistics on
‘the number of new COVID-19 cases in each county,
percent of hospital capacity devoted to COVID-19 patients and
the number of new patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital in the past week’
The below map was for last week. The new map posted on Friday has more red counties that show a high incidence of COVID-19 cases. However, news reports this week say Ky has fewer cases. Who knows?
As you can see from the map graphic, Ky has many ‘red’ counties. In the official GUIDANCE, we also see a requirement for those in ‘red’ counties to ‘Wear well-fitting masks in all indoor public settings including K-12 schools.’
If YOU are in an indoor public place, are YOU wearing a face mask?
Big Brother is watching
All schools must report to the Ky Board of Education (KBE) on their COVID-19 school operations plan.
The KBE and Ky Health Department instructions make clear that face masking in the schools is the rule for ‘red’ counties.
Is KNA in charge of students?
The Ky Nurses Association (KNA) has endorsed face masking for schools. An OpEd published 8-19-22, written by KNA CEO Delanor Manson, states:
Jefferson County is in the COVID-19 “red” zone. This is an undisputed fact. Also, as the science tells us from sources like the Louisville Metro Health & Wellness Department, the Kentucky State Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control, one critical step we can all take to prevent the spread of COVID is wearing a mask – this is also a well-known fact.
More than 96,000 students attend Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district. JCPS leaders take students’ safety seriously and so do we. The Kentucky Nurses Association agrees and stands with the JCPS Mask Mandate for the 2022-2023 school year.
Attention KNA, FDA, KBE, JCPS (etc): You should be ashamed!
To learn reasons why face masks are ineffective, please click here. The link will take you to the Fastzone.com website that has a special section with audio and text files of testimonies in legislative hearings on Gov. Beshear’s face masking mandate along with some article links.
You will be proud of the Kentuckians who spoke out against face masking in the schools!