Parents protest Fargo Public Schools mask mandate

FARGO (KVRR) – More than 30 people gathered outside Carl Ben Eielson Middle School Monday morning to protest a Fargo School Board policy that requires students to wear face coverings.

The demonstrators, carrying signs with messages that read “You’re bullying kids” and “No one’s saying you can’t wear one” were lined up on the sidewalk  along 13th Ave. S.  One of the demonstrators played bagpipes as he walked among the crowd.

“What we’re more adamant about is parents’ choice” according to Cassie Schmidt, a spokesperson for a group called Let Parents Decide That.

“It should be each family’s decision what they would like to do.  Where there is risk, there has to be consent.  Masks are under emergency use authorization right now.  A lot of people don’t know that.  That’s just another issue with these measures. There’s not a lot of transparency” Schmidt said.

“Just looking at the students outside the school here, I could see that it looked like at least a third of them were not even wearing their masks, they’re all standing within one foot of each other” Paul Letvin said.  “Logistically, how much sense does it make to force them to wear masks inside when they’ve already been standing outside, right next to each other with no masks on? It makes no sense.”

Face coverings for all staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission rates are required in Fargo Public Schools.  The Fargo School Board approved the policy on a vote of 6-3.

Schmidt says another parents’ rally is planned Tuesday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fargo.