With the beginning of the Back to School season, heated discussions surrounding the mask mandate have been frequent.

The group, Let Them Breathe, is one significant generator of those discussions. Founded in San Diego, the group comprises over 15,000 parents concerned about their children’s mental, physical, and social well-being from wearing masks all day in schools.

In their ‘Let Them Breathe’ campaign, the parents are fighting for “mask choice” for their kids by traveling throughout California. Last week, the campaign reached Kern County, as the representatives from Let Them Breathe gave a presentation for the Kern High School District.

At the meeting, parents and the advocates of the “Let Them Breathe” campaign proclaimed that masks have affected their children’s social growth and encourage bullying and impede instruction in classrooms. Additionally, they claimed that masks cause carbon dioxide poisoning, although pediatricians across the nation have stated this is false.

“While many poorly designed studies continue to propagate these theories, real life tells us differently,” local pediatrician Dr. Nimisha Amin wrote on Facebook. “Our children have been wearing masks since June of 2020. And yet, our pediatric offices, ERs, urgent cares and hospital units are not full of children succumbing to the effects of hypoxia (low oxygen) or hypercapnia (high CO2 levels).”

The group has filed a lawsuit against California and Governor Gavin Newsom. If the case is successful, the mask mandate will be eliminated in California schools.

“We all learned through the 2020-2021 school year that children need to be in school. Their mental health, emotional well being, safety, education, socialization and developmental skills depend on it. Returning to distance learning for all students is simply not a good option. Hence, we need to make our in person schools as safe of an environment as possible. Universal masking for K-12 is how this will be achieved. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC are in full support of this measure.”

Doctor Nimisha Amin, a Kern County pediatrician, wrote publicly on Facebook while addressing the necessity behind the mask mandate.

As of now, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all teachers, staff, and students continue to wear masks in the classroom, regardless of vaccination status, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.