By Devin
August 20, 2021
My daughter is a talented visual artist who is a Junior at a prominent charter school in Santa Fe. On Tuesday afternoon, August 17, I received a notification from my daughter’s school that she had been identified as having been in “close contact” with someone at her school who tested positive for COVID. Said contact presumably occurred a week ago, August 10-12, and now my daughter is not allowed to attend classes in person for 10 days from the date of contact. Unless, of course, she is vaccinated against COVID. She is not. And she never will be.
So, my daughter and I went to the school on Wednesday morning and met with the principal and the school head to find out what their plan is to ensure that my daughter continues to get the same high quality education as her classmates who are allowed to go to class in person. They have no plan. And furthermore, they do not intend to make a plan.
Given the current state of the spread of COVID, it is very likely that this is going to continue to happen for the foreseeable future. The school’s response is that they don’t care. They. Don’t. Care.
I told the principle and head that I understand that they have no control over the situation. But they agree with the State’s orders. For them, it is not a problem. They are fine with students (who choose not to get the experimental COVID vaccine) missing valuable in-person class time. They. Don’t. Care.
From last year, the teachers have screens and cameras still set up in their classrooms for online teaching. No plan at all to turn them on for the students who are being denied an in-person education. Of course we have asked the teachers if they will turn them on, but they have decided not to do so. And as we learned last year when all schools went online, that is no substitute for in-person learning.
“what is a parent who believes in ‘my body, my choice’ to do?”
So, what is a parent who believes in “my body, my choice” to do? If I take my daughter out of this school, where does she go to get a high quality education that caters to artists? Is there a school in Santa Fe that isn’t following the PED’s orders? I can’t imagine it. Is there even a private school that isn’t following the PED’s orders? As if I could afford it.
How about homeschooling? My daughter is an excellent student. She works hard and is motivated to do well. She makes excellent grades. She belongs in a classroom with real teachers and classmates that she enjoys learning with and who enjoy learning with her. Furthermore, she is amazingly healthy. She never gets sick or even gets colds. No allergies. No diabetes. Nothing. And, she takes 5000 IU of Vitamin D daily. She has absolutely nothing to fear from COVID.
It should be obvious to everyone that what we are witnessing here is Medical Apartheid. Ostracism of an innocent young person for not conforming. For thinking for herself and making her own decisions for herself. This is sick. And it has to STOP. You can say all the day long that she should just get the shot and move on, problem solved. If you say that, you are completely missing the point. Completely.
Our Governor is ultimately responsible for this vicious policy of Medical Apartheid. How much longer are New Mexicans going to continue to allow her to get away with this vile, sick abuse of our children? What will she do next? How much longer before she begins requiring unvaccinated students to wear a black armband with a gold biohazard symbol on it?
No matter your political stripes, you should be outraged at this kind of totalitarian behavior.