I have been sick with worry since sending my kids back to school last week. My kids are worried, too. My family should be worried; here in Utah County, COVID-19 prevention guidance has been reduced to a mere suggestion. Students who test positive for Covid and those who came into contact with them are not even required to quarantine!  The actions of our “leaders” seem laser focused on making the pandemic worse.

As an immunosuppressed single mother to two children with disabilities, I am forced to choose between the health of my sons and myself on the one hand, and the education my sons should have access to on the other. All children have a right to accommodations for disabilities under section 504, promotion of their mental health and social/emotional development, and enriching educational opportunities from the excellent teachers in Utah County. If my sons bring COVID home, it may be a life or death situation for me. Children with disabilities and children with vulnerable family members deserve to be in school under safe COVID-19 protocols like we had last year or better. We need our leaders to declare an emergency, mandate masks in schools, and repeal HB1007 immediately.

— Julie Nance, Provo

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