{"id":609604,"date":"2021-08-03T13:06:36","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T17:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=609604"},"modified":"2021-08-03T13:06:39","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T17:06:39","slug":"ma-gop-governor-accused-of-playing-russian-roulette-for-not-mandating-masks-in-k-12-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ma-gop-governor-accused-of-playing-russian-roulette-for-not-mandating-masks-in-k-12-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"MA GOP Governor Accused Of Playing \u2018Russian Roulette\u2019 For Not Mandating Masks In K-12 Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fma-gop-governor-accused-of-playing-russian-roulette-for-not-mandating-masks-in-k-12-schools%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=609604&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Charlie-Baker.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>A Massachusetts Democrat has accused Republican Governor Charlie Baker of playing \u201cRussian roulette\u201d with the wellbeing of schoolkids, teachers, and their families.<\/p>\n<p>State Senator Becca Rausch, a Democrat from Needham, made the allegation in a press release issued on Monday announcing she had filed a bill that afternoon that would require universal masking among students and staff in all Massachusetts K-12 schools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith less than a month before our children head back to school, this administration chooses to play Russian roulette with the health of Massachusetts students and families,\u201d Rausch <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeccaRauschMA\/status\/1422302120989143040\">said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThis administration fails to follow the science to the detriment of every community in this Commonwealth. I filed this bill to give families and school staff the piece (sic) of mind they deserve about protecting their health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rausch\u2019s proposal would also \u201censure no attendance penalty for students with vaccination appointments during school hours and provide paid time off for parents and caregivers taking students to get vaccinated against COVID-19,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n<p>The move comes after the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the largest teachers union in the state, called on Gov. Baker to implement a face-covering mandate for public schools from pre-K through higher education.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2021\/08\/02\/backlash-mounts-against-charlie-bakers-new-massachusetts-mask-guidelines\/\">According<\/a> to the Boston Herald, a backlash has been mounting over Baker\u2019s decision not to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, which urges universal masking in schools this fall. The federal guidelines also encourage face coverings indoors for counties with high COVID-19 transmission rates.<\/p>\n<p>Baker\u2019s second term ends next year, but he has not said whether he plans to run for re-election.<\/p>\n<p>Former state Sen. Ben Downing, a Democratic candidate for governor, issued a statement on Monday criticizing Baker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people of Massachusetts need clarity and consistency on how to best approach protocols for vaccination and mask mandates in schools, employment, and social environments throughout the Commonwealth,\u201d said Downing.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, Baker\u2019s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issued new guidance that \u201cstrongly recommended students in sixth grade and below wear masks indoors when classes begin in the fall,\u201d NBC Boston <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcboston.com\/news\/local\/gov-baker-to-speak-as-mass-residents-await-new-mask-guidance\/2448810\/\">reported<\/a>. Children under the age of 12 are still ineligible for vaccination.<\/p>\n<p>The updated recommendations also encouraged unvaccinated staffers and unvaccinated students in grades 7 and above to wear masks indoors. However, the guidelines advised schools to allow vaccinated students to remain unmasked.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Baker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2021\/07\/30\/metro\/new-advice-no-mask-mandates-state\/\">said<\/a> on Friday that local officials could make adjustments to \u201cdo what\u2019s right for their specific school districts.\u201d He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcboston.com\/news\/local\/gov-baker-to-speak-as-mass-residents-await-new-mask-guidance\/2448810\/\">reportedly<\/a> said earlier last week that he was \u201cconsidering\u201d a mask mandate in schools.<\/p>\n<p>The Herald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2021\/08\/02\/massachusetts-coronavirus-cases-spike-2054-over-the-weekend-boston-area-covid-wastewater-tracker-shows-surge\/\">reported<\/a>, \u201cMassachusetts health officials reported a spike of 2,054 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, and the Boston-area COVID wastewater tracker shows a virus surge as the more highly contagious delta variant takes hold.\u201d On Monday, there were 215 COVID patients hospitalized across the state, including 50 in intensive care units.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/let-them-breathe-parents-sue-california-governor-over-covid-19-rules-for-classrooms\">\u2018Let Them Breathe\u2019: Parents Sue California Governor Over COVID-19 Rules For Classrooms<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/l-a-public-schools-to-require-weekly-covid-tests-regardless-of-vaccination-status\">L.A. Public Schools To Require Weekly COVID Tests Regardless of Vaccination Status<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Massachusetts Democrat has accused Republican Governor Charlie Baker of playing \u201cRussian roulette\u201d with the wellbeing of schoolkids, teachers, and their families.State Senator Becca Rausch, a Democrat from Needham, made &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}