This week a special session will be held in which our legislators will have an important choice to make concerning the health and wellness of children in Arkansas. The special session is not about a mask mandate in AR, it’s about local control for schools to be able to protect students and teachers.Â
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC both recommend universal masking in schools due to the highly transmissable Delta variant of COVID-19. We can only hope legislators will choose to listen to qualified health experts when it comes to the safety of children in Arkansas. We can also contact those legislators to ask them to vote to amend Act 1002.
Over 900 Healthcare workers in Arkansas have signed an open letter to implore that the state legislature reconvene for the intent and purpose of re-evaluating the law banning the implementation of mask mandates.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital appealed to families and the public this week to please vaccinate children who are eligible immediately. ‘We will continue to see more kids get sick quickly and the best ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are by taking the vaccine, masking and social distancing.†This was after a record number of children were hospitalized due to COVID-19.
To urge legislators to vote to approve changes in Act 1002, call or email.
If you are in Lawrence County .. Blake Johnson and Fran Cavenaugh .
These two links make it easy to find everyone on one page (Senate & House members).
State Senators: https://bit.ly/ARSenatorsALL
State House Reps: https://bit.ly/ARHouseRepsALL