Parents urge Austin ISD to make masks optional; commenters cite studies and call for transparency

At the Austin Independent School District information session on May 13, 2021, multiple parents urged trustees to make masks optional for the fall semester and asked the district to provide the scientific evidence it is using to justify mask mandates in schools.

"For fall, please make masks optional, no plexiglass, and no Zoom," said parent Lisa Williams, adding, "We've known since April 2020 that kids don't get or give this virus in any significant way and that classrooms are not spreader events." Williams spoke during the public comment period and linked her request to child development concerns.

Parent Kelly Buskirk asked the district to disclose the studies and analysis it used to keep masking in place. "I've asked AISD repeatedly to show us the science you are using to prove that masking our children for 8 hours a day is both safe and effective, and I have been provided no such science by AISD," Buskirk said. She referenced a randomized study from Denmark and a separate review she described as examining "mask induced exhaustion syndrome," and she urged the district to either publish the scientific basis for masking or make masks optional.

Another parent, Jennifer, expressed general support for returning to traditional in-person school next year "including no mandatory mask," and said families who prefer remote options already have alternatives.

These comments were made during the public comment portion of the meeting. The transcript excerpt records callers’ opinions and citations to outside studies but does not record any board response or change in district policy in the excerpt provided.