Crystal Moorman was one of more than a dozen people who gathered Thursday in Richmond Hill to protest the Bryan County school board's decision to institute a mask mandate for all students and staff.
Moorman said it wasn't the actual mask mandate that forced her to protest the board's decision.
"For me, it is taking away my decision as to what's best for my children. I'm their mother and I should be the one to make those decision, not the school board's," said the mother of three.
School superintendent Paul Brooksher sent out a statement earlier this week to parents outlining the school's position on safeguarding the students but declined to comment for this article.
The system had started the school year earlier this month with an optional mask policy but the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, including the delta variant, has caused the school superintendent and board to rethink that policy.
The school board instituted a mandatory mask policy for all students and staff Thursday that will continue until at least Oct. 8 unless rescinded sooner. At that time, a decision will be made whether to continue the policy.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported a total 1,012,809 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide on Thursday. Of that number, 7,051 were added since Wednesday and 203 were recently admitted to hospitals. The state DPH reported 46 new deaths for a statewide total of 19,131.
As of Thursday, Chatham County has reported a total of 25,871 positive cases, an increase of 397 since Wednesday. Bryan County has reported 3,428 positive cases, an increase of 63. Effingham County has reported 4,968 positive cases, an increase of 105.
Moorman said her children wore the masks last school year when masks were mandatory, and they came home every day complaining about the masks which she said were "disgusting."
"If you want your children to wear a mask, that's your right as a parent. But I have a right as a parent not to have my child wear a mask. It should be my policy, not the school board's," she said.
Moorman said everyone in her family has had COVID-19 so she understands the concern, but that doesn't usurp her rights as a parent.
She said there is a group of about 300 like-minded parents who feel the same. She said many of them plan on being in Richmond Hill or Pembroke every Thursday to let school officials know how they feel about the mask mandate.
The Bryan County school system has about 1,200 employees and approximately 10,000 students.
Also protesting Thursday was Anji Stauffer, who has a daughter in Richmond Hill High School. She thinks the whole policy is "ridiculous."
"I think the policy is terrible. This virus is not going anywhere," she said. "The cloth mask is not tight-fitting so the virus can get through and many studies have shown that these masks are ineffective. Look at our eyes. They are mucous membranes and no one is wearing goggles. So you can get the virus through there. It's just ridiculous.
"Plus, not all the students are wearing the masks correctly. They're down around their chins, I think its all for show. The schools are just doing it for show."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that COVID-19 spreads mainly through respiratory droplets when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes or talks, making cloth masks an effective way to lessen the transmission of the coronavirus.
But the CDC does note, “A cloth face covering may not protect the wearer, but it may keep the wearer from spreading the virus to others.” By wearing a cloth covering in public, the spread of the virus can be slowed by lessening the transmission to others.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bryan County schools' mask mandate draws protesters as COVID positive numbers increase
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