LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Parents protested outside the Louisville Archdiocese Monday morning catholic schools COVID-19 protocols and mask mandates.
Many parents felt that since public school systems have begun to do away with mask requirements, the Archdiocese should do the same. With two to three years of COVID-related mandates, parents said they feel it has gone on long enough. They believe the mandates is impacting their children's education.
"It's just been going on for too long and it's unreasonable that our kids are burdened with this unnecessary fear," said Tracy Oswald, a mother at the protest.
Parents created a petition on change.org, and over 770 people have signed it so far. In the petition description, it reads:
"We are petitioning the Louisville Archdiocese to lift the mask requirement in our Catholic schools. The COVID-19 vaccination for children is now available to those who would like their children vaccinated. The added option of vaccine availability for children needs to put the full weight of mask and vaccination choice back in parents hands, where it belongs.
Protesting parents said parents who disagree with masking children have been patient long enough.
"Parents who agree with masking can continue masking their children by choice. Now that a vaccine is available to those who would like it, all mask requirements must be lifted for all children in our schools."
Oswald says she has reached out to the Archdiocese several times about the issue but has not gotten a response.
"We're supposed to be a unified community. We're supposed to have our faith over fear and that's not being demonstrated to my children," she said.
On February 9, a few days before the protest, the Archdiocese lifted the mandate for students in grade school but kept the requirement in place for preschool-age students.
Demonstrators pushed to not only lift the mask requirement for preschoolers, but to lift all COVID protocols such as quarantining, testing and contact tracing, and for vaccinated and unvaccinated kids to be treated the same.
Oswald told WHAS11 that her children had been told they were "being selfish" if they took their mask off or pulled it down for a moment to catch a breath of fresh air while in school.
"We just want them to go back to having a normal childhood."
Louisville Archdiocese COVID Protest
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