California school district's return to masking has many parents outraged: 'Insanity'

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Parents outraged after San Diego school district reinstates mask mandates

'Let Them Breathe' founder Sharon McKeeman, SDUSD school board candidate Becca Williams, and California father Dr. Houman Hemmati joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss backlash surrounding the move.

Parents are dismayed and even outraged to see that a California school district is bringing back indoor masking for its students.

San Diego Unified School District board president Sharon Whitehurst-Payne recently defended her district’s decision to return to masking indoors — including for summer school students — as Fox News Digital reported earlier.

But parents are already expressing outrage at it, especially given Whitehurst-Payne's comments that any student who doesn't want to wear a mask should "just not return."

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Fox News Digital heard from an array of parents about the prospect of masking up children again or pushing them into remote learning, with one Massachusetts grandmother calling it a case of "delirium."

The topic of whether or not kids should be required to wear masks was polarizing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it's coming up again.

"This is an insanity, a delirium," said the grandmother of six, who requested anonymity, about the masking of students. 

"The loss of education in the last two years, added to the mental stresses of masking — my grandkids who are school-age said they never knew if someone was smiling at them or not — is already unacceptable."

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Another mom from Massachusetts shared her story with Fox News Digital as well as her feelings on masking.

"My children are five, seven and nine," she said. "They have been impacted by this, being so young when all of this started."

She continued, "The most important years of learning are pre-K through 3rd grade. We pulled our kids out of our public school system and put them in Catholic school."

Many American kids in a variety of states had to endure mask mandates in their school districts throughout the pandemic. (Getty Images)

The mom shared that one of her kids has a "significant" speech and language disability — and that wearing a mask made learning harder for him.

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"How is a child supposed to learn to speak correctly when he can't see lips — and they can't see his?"

Wayne Slattery Jr., of Reading, Mass., does not have children but has witnessed the impact of masking on kids. 

"It’s outrageous to be masking children, who are the least vulnerable [to COVID]," he said. "Total over-reach by the government," he added.

Some parents say their child's learning was affected by masks worn against COVID. (iStock)

An Iowa grandfather of three small children weighed in, telling Fox News Digital, "I am totally against this. It is the parents who should decide for their child, not the government."

A Massachusetts grandmother felt differently. 

"No one wants to wear a mask," Karen Tait Draper told Fox News Digital. "But if the numbers indicate more COVID cases are a problem again in schools, then it would not be a bad idea to put the masks back on."

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A North Carolina college student was blunt about his feelings on more masking this fall. 

College students wore masks while in class during the pandemic — or, their classes were remote in many cases. (iStock)

"We just can’t go back," the student, who attends college in Greensboro, told Fox News Digital.

"I hated learning via Zoom, and I still don’t recognize students I’ve been in class with for months — now that we aren’t wearing masks. We just cannot go back," he emphasized.

One parent in New York state said she has friends who are fine with masks in school for their young kids — while others have a real problem with it.

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"It is a personal decision, I recognize that. And there are plenty of opinions on this," she said.

"So if parents want their kids to wear masks, that's up to them. The rest of the student body shouldn't be forced to wear masks simply for the sake of a few. That's my feeling."