An open letter to Clinton County school boards:

School boards protect and empower children. And thank you for all you do to fulfill your duty to care and partner with the community to provide a safe and caring environment for our children. Moreover, I don’t have to tell you that our children are shaped by their communities. And right now the bulk of our community is failing in its duty to care and protect our children from the pandemic, which is an abuse of internationally recognized human rights.

School boards protect and empower children. And your oath of office requires that you support the U.S. Constitution to promote the progress of science. The pandemic should have reminded us to listen to our scientists as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. But the other national pandemic of conservatism has infected public leadership and inhibited our empathy for and responsibility to one another to protect and empower against all threats domestic and foreign. The pandemics are both domestic and foreign.

School boards protect and empower children. And it’s time to listen to our scientists, even when others won’t. Moreover, we know inaction is sickening and deadly. Seven Clinton County neighbors have needlessly died of Covid-19 in the last week. Furthermore, the local hospital ICU beds are at or near capacity. Now is the time to mandate masks and vaccines for all eligible employees and students. Inaction is deadly for the unvaccinated.

School boards protect and empower children. We need conservatism relief now to save lives. It’s time to embrace progressive values of care and mutual responsibility and mandate masks and vaccines. America has done so in the past to save lives, and you can as well. As a caring citizen and community partner, I implore you to double down on your duty to care and mandate vaccines and masks.

Charles Watts

Wilmington