Parents bullied the SBOE member

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

This is one more reason why there shouldn't be a full-fledge student member of the board. They are taking a position where they are able to make broad decisions regarding our school system and yet it is not politically correct to criticize them when they say things that don't make sense.

+100

+1

Agreed. Kids can have a voice but not a vote.

Not having a vote is exactly what it means to not have a voice. If the SMOB is non-voting, it's a waste of the student's time re: pushing the dialogue based on their current experiences and it'd be a waste of the BOE's time as a body. They don't make decisions on personnel, etc. so it's not "broad" decisions. After all, they are the ones who will have to follow those policies in their respective schools. Name one area/sector where the consumer doesn't have a voice that's almost co-equal.

No, she can talk at every board meeting. That's a voice. Children should not get to make policy. Adults do know better than children. Adults can become better informed adults by listening to children. But they are still children. Adults should be making the decisions.

Is this how your family functions? I listen to my kids, but I am the one who makes the decisions and accepts responsibility.

"Is this how your family functions?" I see that DCUM posters still haven't learned respect but will always gaslight, etc. She's literally 18 ... there's no point of talking but then not being able to take action. These "children" you derisively refer to, many times, make smarter and more inclusive decisions than adults. Adults don't always know what they're doing, and I'm sorry for those children who have to deal with you. It's not "children are the future - as long as they know their place". These decisions made at the table affect them everyday.

Sorry, children are children. They can't legally contract to do anything. For a reason. Their frontal lobes aren't fully developed until they are 25. They have the arrogance and self-centeredness that's developmentally appropriate and critical developing their own identity. But it does no real good for group management decisions that impact many different types of people.

And yet the majority of HS kids can argue circles around the majority of DCUM posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

No, that is not what she said. This is what she said:

“The last thing I want is for schools to be a source of anxiety for our students and it feels like making masks optional because of all the messaging, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, that my mask not only protects me, it protects my community,” O’Looney said at the meeting. “… That’s still a lingering sentiment. Regardless of what data says, perception is reality for students and families. I’m really afraid that if we get rid of the mask mandate, it’s going to cause a lot of fear for our students and families.”

I feel like what she said is so important in terms of shining a light on what we have done to kids during this pandemic. Of course there will be fear among some students to remove their masks- but why is that? It comes from the messaging from adults and parents passing on this extreme anxiety to their kids. My kindergartener comes home with stories about another kid in her class that make me really sad- the girl was kept out for the month of January and when she returned was afraid to take off her mask to eat lunch and started crying and saying her parents said it wasn't safe to have her mask off inside because the other kids might have Covid. We know the family, they don't have any risk factors, they are just extremely invested in not getting Covid. One of the parents is always bombarding the principal during town halls about air quality, etc. It makes me wonder why they sent their kids in-person this year in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

No, that is not what she said. This is what she said:

“The last thing I want is for schools to be a source of anxiety for our students and it feels like making masks optional because of all the messaging, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, that my mask not only protects me, it protects my community,” O’Looney said at the meeting. “… That’s still a lingering sentiment. Regardless of what data says, perception is reality for students and families. I’m really afraid that if we get rid of the mask mandate, it’s going to cause a lot of fear for our students and families.”

I feel like what she said is so important in terms of shining a light on what we have done to kids during this pandemic. Of course there will be fear among some students to remove their masks- but why is that? It comes from the messaging from adults and parents passing on this extreme anxiety to their kids. My kindergartener comes home with stories about another kid in her class that make me really sad- the girl was kept out for the month of January and when she returned was afraid to take off her mask to eat lunch and started crying and saying her parents said it wasn't safe to have her mask off inside because the other kids might have Covid. We know the family, they don't have any risk factors, they are just extremely invested in not getting Covid. One of the parents is always bombarding the principal during town halls about air quality, etc. It makes me wonder why they sent their kids in-person this year in the first place.

This exactly. Any anxiety kids have is learned from parents/caregivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

This is one more reason why there shouldn't be a full-fledge student member of the board. They are taking a position where they are able to make broad decisions regarding our school system and yet it is not politically correct to criticize them when they say things that don't make sense.

+100

+1

Agreed. Kids can have a voice but not a vote.

Then it's a meaningless position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

No, that is not what she said. This is what she said:

“The last thing I want is for schools to be a source of anxiety for our students and it feels like making masks optional because of all the messaging, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, that my mask not only protects me, it protects my community,” O’Looney said at the meeting. “… That’s still a lingering sentiment. Regardless of what data says, perception is reality for students and families. I’m really afraid that if we get rid of the mask mandate, it’s going to cause a lot of fear for our students and families.”

I feel like what she said is so important in terms of shining a light on what we have done to kids during this pandemic. Of course there will be fear among some students to remove their masks- but why is that? It comes from the messaging from adults and parents passing on this extreme anxiety to their kids. My kindergartener comes home with stories about another kid in her class that make me really sad- the girl was kept out for the month of January and when she returned was afraid to take off her mask to eat lunch and started crying and saying her parents said it wasn't safe to have her mask off inside because the other kids might have Covid. We know the family, they don't have any risk factors, they are just extremely invested in not getting Covid. One of the parents is always bombarding the principal during town halls about air quality, etc. It makes me wonder why they sent their kids in-person this year in the first place.

This exactly. Any anxiety kids have is learned from parents/caregivers.

Well we better harass and bully and name-call all those "stupid" anxious parents, amirite? And it's just fine to say "worthy of ridicule" about a student member of the BOE? Right?

No.

You want to make things better for kids and families as we transition out of this pandemic? Work on coming together as a community with open hearts and minds and try to help everyone transition through this very difficult time. The fact is this was difficult for everyone no matter how cautious or not cautious you were. The fact that people are anxious at this point SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISING. Despite what some people on this site say, you couldn't KNOW with certainty what to do at many points in this pandemic, because the information was always changing and wasn't always easy to parse. Decisions were fraught for many people. People have been doing the best they can for two years. Expecting everyone to turn on a dime now is unreasonable. We are just coming out of the omicron wave. That set many people back after the place we had reached last fall.

Frankly the crazy anti-mask groups have not been helpful. Their tactics are not going to help anxious people transition. We need a lot of understanding and patience with each other right now. But most people are just straight b**chy and rude like the first PP on this thread.

None of you know it all. None of you had or have all the answers. The way forward is together and that won't happen with all the bickering and petty BS. And absolutely no tolerance for these parents who use harassment to try and get their way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

No, that is not what she said. This is what she said:

“The last thing I want is for schools to be a source of anxiety for our students and it feels like making masks optional because of all the messaging, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, that my mask not only protects me, it protects my community,” O’Looney said at the meeting. “… That’s still a lingering sentiment. Regardless of what data says, perception is reality for students and families. I’m really afraid that if we get rid of the mask mandate, it’s going to cause a lot of fear for our students and families.”

I feel like what she said is so important in terms of shining a light on what we have done to kids during this pandemic. Of course there will be fear among some students to remove their masks- but why is that? It comes from the messaging from adults and parents passing on this extreme anxiety to their kids. My kindergartener comes home with stories about another kid in her class that make me really sad- the girl was kept out for the month of January and when she returned was afraid to take off her mask to eat lunch and started crying and saying her parents said it wasn't safe to have her mask off inside because the other kids might have Covid. We know the family, they don't have any risk factors, they are just extremely invested in not getting Covid. One of the parents is always bombarding the principal during town halls about air quality, etc. It makes me wonder why they sent their kids in-person this year in the first place.

This exactly. Any anxiety kids have is learned from parents/caregivers.

Well we better harass and bully and name-call all those "stupid" anxious parents, amirite? And it's just fine to say "worthy of ridicule" about a student member of the BOE? Right?

No.

You want to make things better for kids and families as we transition out of this pandemic? Work on coming together as a community with open hearts and minds and try to help everyone transition through this very difficult time. The fact is this was difficult for everyone no matter how cautious or not cautious you were. The fact that people are anxious at this point SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISING. Despite what some people on this site say, you couldn't KNOW with certainty what to do at many points in this pandemic, because the information was always changing and wasn't always easy to parse. Decisions were fraught for many people. People have been doing the best they can for two years. Expecting everyone to turn on a dime now is unreasonable. We are just coming out of the omicron wave. That set many people back after the place we had reached last fall.

Frankly the crazy anti-mask groups have not been helpful. Their tactics are not going to help anxious people transition. We need a lot of understanding and patience with each other right now. But most people are just straight b**chy and rude like the first PP on this thread.

None of you know it all. None of you had or have all the answers. The way forward is together and that won't happen with all the bickering and petty BS. And absolutely no tolerance for these parents who use harassment to try and get their way.

Crazy anti-mask groups? Do you live in Texas? Because what I've seen here is NOTHING compared to the fighting and vitriol experienced in many areas of the country. MoCo residents have largely been pro-mask or mask-tolerant. Wanting to align with the updated CDC guidance is not crazy!

Clearly the harassment towards this student was wrong and uncalled for and everyone should be able to decide to mask or not mask going forward without fear of harassment/bullying. I expect it will go both ways. I do hope that parents can be rational and calm about this, teach their kids to respect others, and not project onto their kids that they have to fear their classmates that choose to unmask. Because that seems to be the attitude of a number of posters here- that they need to keep their kids away from ones "like yours."

[Anonymous]

The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

Exactly. The group has been wonderful about shining a light on BOE, MCPS, and other county leaders' failures during this pandemic. I thank them every day for helping to guide the school system back to normalcy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

I’m trying to understand something here. Is the outrage that she had racist and bully remarks thrown her way? Or is the out rage that people are criticizing what she has said regarding masks? IMO that’s is fair game since she is a full voting member of the board. Pretty sure we’re still allowed to criticize what she is saying just like we would Brenda wolf or Scott Joftus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

I’m trying to understand something here. Is the outrage that she had racist and bully remarks thrown her way? Or is the out rage that people are criticizing what she has said regarding masks? IMO that’s is fair game since she is a full voting member of the board. Pretty sure we’re still allowed to criticize what she is saying just like we would Brenda wolf or Scott Joftus.

+100 criticizing a board member's stance (whether age 18 or 48) is totally OK. The rude comments from outsiders had nothing to do with posting the video. The post was deleted as soon as it was discovered there were inappropriate comments. I know many would like to blame those who posted the video, but I am glad this group is exposing the BOE for what it is and what they stand for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She said the perception of masks making us safer was all that matters. That makes no sense and is worthy of ridicule.

No, that is not what she said. This is what she said:

“The last thing I want is for schools to be a source of anxiety for our students and it feels like making masks optional because of all the messaging, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, that my mask not only protects me, it protects my community,” O’Looney said at the meeting. “… That’s still a lingering sentiment. Regardless of what data says, perception is reality for students and families. I’m really afraid that if we get rid of the mask mandate, it’s going to cause a lot of fear for our students and families.”

I feel like what she said is so important in terms of shining a light on what we have done to kids during this pandemic. Of course there will be fear among some students to remove their masks- but why is that? It comes from the messaging from adults and parents passing on this extreme anxiety to their kids. My kindergartener comes home with stories about another kid in her class that make me really sad- the girl was kept out for the month of January and when she returned was afraid to take off her mask to eat lunch and started crying and saying her parents said it wasn't safe to have her mask off inside because the other kids might have Covid. We know the family, they don't have any risk factors, they are just extremely invested in not getting Covid. One of the parents is always bombarding the principal during town halls about air quality, etc. It makes me wonder why they sent their kids in-person this year in the first place.

This exactly. Any anxiety kids have is learned from parents/caregivers.

Well we better harass and bully and name-call all those "stupid" anxious parents, amirite? And it's just fine to say "worthy of ridicule" about a student member of the BOE? Right?

No.

You want to make things better for kids and families as we transition out of this pandemic? Work on coming together as a community with open hearts and minds and try to help everyone transition through this very difficult time. The fact is this was difficult for everyone no matter how cautious or not cautious you were. The fact that people are anxious at this point SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISING. Despite what some people on this site say, you couldn't KNOW with certainty what to do at many points in this pandemic, because the information was always changing and wasn't always easy to parse. Decisions were fraught for many people. People have been doing the best they can for two years. Expecting everyone to turn on a dime now is unreasonable. We are just coming out of the omicron wave. That set many people back after the place we had reached last fall.

Frankly the crazy anti-mask groups have not been helpful. Their tactics are not going to help anxious people transition. We need a lot of understanding and patience with each other right now. But most people are just straight b**chy and rude like the first PP on this thread.

None of you know it all. None of you had or have all the answers. The way forward is together and that won't happen with all the bickering and petty BS. And absolutely no tolerance for these parents who use harassment to try and get their way.

You do realize the irony of your post pleading for support, while criticizing people and shouting in all caps, don't you?

We need to be empathic all around, and that means for those kids who feel anxious unmasking and those who have struggled wearing masks all day. It goes both ways. But to do that, we also need some common understanding of things like: COVID is not the only relevant public health outcome; vaccines are more effective than masks; two years of chronic stress takes its toll on all of us, etc. We can't move forward by avoiding anxiety, and we can't move forward by criticizing those who are anxious, either.

What the SMOB said about people ignoring the data because of their own anxiety, but that's a very, very poor rationale for continued masking. Effective treatment for anxiety is exposure, not avoidance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

I’m trying to understand something here. Is the outrage that she had racist and bully remarks thrown her way? Or is the out rage that people are criticizing what she has said regarding masks? IMO that’s is fair game since she is a full voting member of the board. Pretty sure we’re still allowed to criticize what she is saying just like we would Brenda wolf or Scott Joftus.

There’s a group of people that have a vested interest in shifting attention away from what the school board member said to the offensive and inappropriate remarks that people made on twitter, many of whom didn’t appear to be in MoCo at all, much less associated with parent groups here.

But two things can be true: the school board member dangerously suggested we ignore data on mask efficacy when considering changes to mask policies, and some people on Internet can be mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who shared this are trash. looking at you, Togetheragain mcps. You all are trash.

If one of the rally leaders cared so much about kids mental health, then they would work at a place that takes insurance

How ridiculous to share a video of the remarks made by a voting school board member during a board meeting. Obviously that’s inappropriate. No scchol board member should be expected to be held accountable for their remarks or decisions.

I’m trying to understand something here. Is the outrage that she had racist and bully remarks thrown her way? Or is the out rage that people are criticizing what she has said regarding masks? IMO that’s is fair game since she is a full voting member of the board. Pretty sure we’re still allowed to criticize what she is saying just like we would Brenda wolf or Scott Joftus.

+100 criticizing a board member's stance (whether age 18 or 48) is totally OK. The rude comments from outsiders had nothing to do with posting the video. The post was deleted as soon as it was discovered there were inappropriate comments. I know many would like to blame those who posted the video, but I am glad this group is exposing the BOE for what it is and what they stand for.

Thank you for clarifying that because I really wanted to understand the issue.

[Anonymous]

MCPS parents were not making fun of Hana. The folks making fun were not mcps parents.

I think it’s important to share the video of her comments though bc most people don’t watch live BOE meetings. She represents a big issue in this county. Fear of getting sick far outweighs the actual risks. Perception has gotten us into a lot of trouble. When I saw the video, my first thought was - wow - we have work to do. We need to change the messaging. Show people how to assess risks, face fears, re-enter life.

Video clips of important comments will always be shared after BOE meetings. SMOBs should expect public feedback and criticism. It’s politics. Nasty comments are unacceptable. But, at least what I saw, was not from mcps parents.