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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-06-20 Public Comment - Z. Smith - Mask-related issues during FYI portion of july 6 cc mtgFrom:Zak Smith To:Agenda Subject:Mask-related issues during "FYI" portion of July 6 meeting Date:Monday, July 6, 2020 9:30:01 AM Dear City Commission: I am writing to submit a comment on mask-related issues for your consideration during the "FYI" portion of the July 6 meeting. In addition to the general health of Bozeman community members, I believe the main focus that should be guiding decisions on masks and other issues associated with responding to COVID-19 is getting our public schools up and running as normal as possible. I am aware of the different options the Bozeman School District is considering as it plans for commencing the 2020-2021 school year and the District is making its decisions, in part, on the threat that the schools pose for transmitting thecorona virus to school staff and community members. That threat is greater if community transmissions are too high. To reduce that threat, I urge the City of Bozeman and the Gallatin Board of Health to take aggressive steps now, including requiring masks to be worn in any non-outdoor venue (e.g., stores), increasinginspections of restaurants to ensure compliance with mask requirements and social distancing (e.g., as people are congregating to speak to staff about tables/orders they are not social distancing and not wearing masks), closing or holding bars to much stricter requirements for distancing. Getting our schools functioning as close to normal as possible is critical for the economy and the current and future well being of children. Parents need to have as much notice and reliance on a robust and defined school schedule as possible so that they can plan their work during school hours. In short, there will be no solid economic recovery without kids in school. People will not be able to work without plans for schools. More importantly, children that miss school can suffer in the short and long term. In the short term, there are the obvious issues of slower advancement in reading, math, and other critical areas of education. Impacts are magnified for low-income studentsand students of color, who disproportionately fall behind on learning as a result of not being at school. Student nutrition and food security also suffer because many children rely upon school-provided meals. Across the nation as school's closed, more children reported being hungry than before the closures. I realize that complete school closure with no at-home instruction is not on the table, but districts across the nation, including Bozeman School District reported more students not completing assignments and otherwise a lower quality of educationalperformance as a result of at-home schooling. In the long term, multiple studies confirm that students who miss a year of school are less likely to complete high school, less likely to complete college, make less money later in life, are at greater risk for illness later in life, and die sooner because of the convergence of these issues. So, even if a community's goal is to have people healthy, it is not clear that we are properly weighing all of the short and long term risks associated with school closures or sub-par instruction for the community as a whole when we take into account the impact on an entire generation of school-agedchildren. Again, I understand that these studies focused on completely missing school as opposed to the hybrid approach we face of mixed instruction and at-home schooling,but this evidence nonetheless points to significant risk to our students during the current circumstances. Here's just a few articles documenting these concerns: The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators. Prolonged school closures could be very costly for America's students. The impact of COVID-19 on student achievementand what it may mean for e... Jim Soland, Megan Kuhfeld, Beth Tarasawa, Angela Johnson, ErikRuzek, and Jing Liu Anticipating the educational effects of an unprecedented situation. Prolonged school closures could be very costlyfor America’s students How Covid-19 is changing the world's children. I urge you to weigh all of these concerns and risks when making decisions on aggressively reducing transmissions so we can maximize our chances of reopening schools, even partially, in the fall. Please issue a requirement that masks be worn in indoor businesses! Please aggressively enforce covid-related safety requirements in businesses, especially bars! I hope this community weighs our children's interests higher than those who want to ensure people can go to bars this summer and those that don't want to be inconvenienced by wearing a mask as they stand in line to order ice cream or shop for a souvenir t-shirt. Thank you, Zak Smith 825 S Grand Ave. Bozeman zaksmyth@yahoo.com Matthew Yglesias Experts are especially worried about younger and lower-income kids. How Covid-19 is changing the world’s children David Robson From their academic success to their social skills and mentalhealth, the pandemic is a crisis for today’s child...