At around 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 24, Pleasanton parents stood in front of the Pleasanton Unified School District office with numerous signs which supported the idea of “mask choice”.

“With this activism, I hope that our school board, that’s going into a meeting, will consider and make the choice like so many other districts in our state have, in the last two weeks, to rescind the mask mandate and allow each family to make their choice about whether they want to wear a mask or not,” said Kate Delgado, a Pleasanton mom and rally attendee.

According to the California Department Of Public Health plan for 2021-2022, face coverings must be worn indoors in schools at all times by K-12 students, parents, and teachers. However, some parents believe that the mask mandate for students may be doing more harm than good.

“I have a first grader and a second grader. My first grader has never had a normal school year, my second grader has never had a normal school year. They are trying to learn phonics and things like that without being able to see their teachers’ mouths, without being able to speak, said Trina Van Cott, a registered nurse and protestor.

At numerous “anti-mandate” rallies around the United States, citizens exercising their first Amendment rights to protest have been deemed “conspiracy theorists”, “science-deniers”, and “conservatives.”

“I think that maybe they think we’re a bunch of right wingers, conspiracy theorists and people who don’t listen to science. I think that that is a big misconception, and I think especially the younger kids have that misconception,” said Delgado.

With changes to the mask mandate in schools, there may be a shift in views on the upcoming “mask optional” stand-point, but for now masks are continuing to be required in every classroom in PUSD.