A 10-year-old boy went viral this week after speaking out in opposition to a continued face mask requirement in his Florida school district.
“Wearing the masks all day makes me really tired,” the young boy, who identified himself as a fourth grader and was referred to as John, said to an emergency school board meeting in Martin County, Florida, last week. “Sometimes, I miss school and have to lay down in the dark till they’re gone,” the boy said, adding that the masks can be sweaty, claustrophobic, and anxiety-inducing.
John said he expected school to be different this past year but didn’t expect the new rules to last the entire year.
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“I was surprised by the rules,” John said, explaining that he was not allowed to play outside or even face other students at times. “A lot of them didn’t make any sense to me.”
The boy also accused some of the teachers at the school of “hypocrisy” and said that they often lower their masks to yell at unmasked children.
“One teacher walks around with a clipboard full of referrals for any student whose mask isn’t on properly,” he said. “It makes me feel scared.”
The boy said “that same teacher yells at us” when students are attempting to drink water in a car line waiting for their parents and has her mask down when she does so.
“She had her mask down the entire time when she was yelling at us,” he said.
The 10-year-old said he ran into his teacher outside of school and she didn’t even recognize him because he is always wearing a mask, but he pointed out that he knew who she was because she is always sitting at her desk with no mask.
“I understand it is hard for her to wear a mask,” he said, acknowledging that she has allergies. “But I should have that choice, too.”
“It seems unfair,” the boy continued, appearing to choke up. “All of this seems unfair, and it doesn’t make sense. I miss seeing people’s faces. I miss the way things used to be. I’m scared things will never go back to normal.”
“Breathing doesn’t really seem like something we should have to ask any other people for permission for,” John said in closing. “Please make masks optional today. It would be so awesome to end the school year on a really happy note like that. Thank you for your time.”
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Parents and school officials have been clashing across the country and debating whether or not it is safe for children to remove their masks while at school. While many states have already lifted their face mask restrictions, major teachers unions have resisted lifting restrictions and going back to in-person learning.
The Martin County School District ultimately decided in the meeting to require masks for 12 more days until the school year ends and make them optional for next year.
