Dr. Julie Vitale Oceanside Unified Superintendent

Oceanside has 23 schools and 17,648 students. The district’s minority enrollment is 80%.

Hello. My name is Katie Swank. I am a mom. I am here to ask you a variety of questions:

First I will state facts:

This is in the CSBA – The articles of Governance of the School Board  –

17. Two-way communication with all stakeholders is essential for establishing continuity, support, and shared goals both within the district and with the surrounding community.

18. The Board has a responsibility to advocate on behalf all students, keep current on legislative issues affecting education, and build positive relationships with local, state, and federal representatives.

Like, I stated, I am a mom. I have two children, 5 and 7, that attend Coastal Academy in Oceanside. They will not be attending school this year because the School Board of Oceanside is enforcing mask mandates in our district.

We cannot protest this mandate? We don’t have a right to choose for our children? First Amendment rights of American Citizens ARE NOT being upheld? You think WE have no choice? That doesn’t sound very American-Constitution-Like, does it?!

My children will not be subject to your tyranny. They do not wear masks. Because we don’t wear them, we are not allowed inside the school building. We must conduct all business outside. However, people that wear masks of any sort, color, fabric, placement can enter the building. Isn’t that segregation? Please answer that question specifically. Mendez, et al v. Westminister [sic] School District of Orange County, et al, 64 F.Supp. 544 (S.D. Cal. 1946),^[1] aff’d, 161 F.2d 774 (9th Cir. 1947) (en banc),^[2] 

Why can my children enter Target, touch all the toys, play with other children in the toy aisle, WITHOUT a mask, and yet, they have to go to school with their beautiful faces covered for 7 hours?

Didn’t Newsom get sued for this?

Why is it acceptable under the dictatorship of Newsom that my child can enter big box stores like Target, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, with no mask and no time limitations, no hands on restrictions, but he requires my child to wear a mask inside a school building.

The ($1,350,000) settlement references several Supreme Court opinions, including Harvest Church v. Newsom, which include a long list of similar nonreligious activity the High Court set for as comparable religious gatherings. These included grocery stores, big box stores, warehouses, transportation, infrastructure, telecommunications and more – https://www.newsweek.com/pasadenas-harvest-church-wins-lawsuit-against-gavin-newsom-lifting-worship-restrictions-1593096

Are the School buildings and Target buildings different?

Are the bricks contagious at Coastal Academy, but not at Target?

Are the teachers “super spreaders”?

Are Target employees robots under-cover, super immune to virus particles?

Please answer those questions specifically. You are obligated to reply under your own laws of operation of which you get paid $316,000 annual salary to uphold.

RESTATED FOR EMPHASIS –

This is in the CSBA – The articles of Governance of the School Board  –

17. Two-way communication with all stakeholders is essential for establishing continuity, support, and shared goals both within the district and with the surrounding community.

18. The Board has a responsibility to advocate on behalf all students, keep current on legislative issues affecting education, and build positive relationships with local, state, and federal representatives.

3. Are more children dying from suicide and depression induced from fear, isolation and abuse at home then from COVID 19?

Significantly higher rates of suicide-related behaviors appear to have corresponded with times when COVID-19 stressors and community responses (e.g., stay-at-home orders and school closures) were heightened, indicating that youth experienced elevated distress during these periods, according to “Suicide Ideation and Attempts in a Pediatric Emergency Department Before and During COVID-19” (Hill RM, et al. Pediatrics. Dec. 16, 2020).

Researchers analyzed electronic health record data from 18,247 youths presenting for any complaint to a large pediatric emergency department (ED). Of the 12,827 youths who completed a suicide risk screening, 59% were female and the mean age was 14.5 years. About 48% were Hispanic/Latinx, 26.8% non-Hispanic White and 19.1% non-Hispanic Black or African American. A chief complaint of suicidal thoughts or behaviors was reported by 3.5% of patients. – https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/12/16/pediatricssuicidestudy121620

According to the AAP: A chief complaint of suicidal thoughts or behaviors was reported by 3.5% of patients. – https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/12/16/pediatricssuicidestudy121620.

Remember how Oceanside has 17,648 children enrolled? Well, if the AAP states that 3.5% of patients are contemplating suicidal thoughts or behaviors, that would be 617 children in your district Julie. That’s a real number isn’t it. Imagine 617 people? Here is a photo so you don’t have to use your imagination – we can make this real life.

Are children at High Risk of death or severe illness due to COVID 19? 

At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children. However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.

– https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/

We are citizens of the best country in the World, the United States of America – According to our Constitution, we have the following right:

Amendment XIV – Right to Life

Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Can Children argue with adults? 

Do children have a voice? 

If the parents don’t speak up for their children, how can they be treated fairly? 

How can my children attend school if they will not wear a mask? 

Why do children wear masks?

How is your own breath poisonous? It can kill you? Would you willingly poison your child? “Here sweetie, wear this cover over your face SO YOU CAN BREATHE POISONOUS AIR. I don’t want my friends to judge me.”

Do you have any idea how poisonous CO2 is? Carbon dioxide is the poison you breathe out when you exhale. It is real. It is not fake. You learn about carbon dioxide when you are a child in kindergarten. You learn about the life cycle of a plant. Carbon dioxide is in the air, but exhaled because it is poison and can’t be used, but plants use that element to create oxygen for us – our life source. 

So if we exhale poisonous co2 every time we breathe, no wonder I feel anxious when I put on a mask. 

Let’s ask questions:

Is a mask a barrier?

Why wear a mask if it is not a barrier?

How does it prevent virus?

If a mask is a barrier, how does it allow circulation?

If a mask is a barrier, how does poisonous CO2 circulate?

If a mask is a barrier, and poisonous CO2 does not circulate, how is that healthy?

How is it okay for a barrier, which allows poisonous CO2 to be trapped and renter my lungs recommended for 7 hours on a child?

If the mask is circulating properly, how is it preventing a virus?

If a mask is circulating and CO2 is a non-issue, then it is NOT PREVENTING A VIRUS.

A mask is then deemed unnecessary, and must not be a mandate.

No wonder I couldn’t think properly when I would shop with a mask on. I was being poisoned by my own breath. I had terrible headaches, felt exhausted all the time. Masks are nothing but trouble. It’s proven they don’t prevent virus from entering our systems. You can get a virus from the liquid in your eyes. It can enter through your ears…

Masks are stupid. You are poisoning your children. Yet, this is America, the land of the free. So if you want to keep wearing them, please do. I choose not to. I want that choice.

What are the risks involved in wearing masks?  Why don’t we just comply like everyone else?

1. Over exposure to CO2 -The study included 11 healthy volunteers, median age 32 years (range 16-54) and 6 (55%) men. Percent mean (SD) changes in CO2 values for no mask, JustAir® PAPR, KN95 respirator and valve respirator were 0.26 (0.12), 0.59 (0.097), 2.6 (0.14) and 2.4 (0.59), respectively. Use of face masks (KN95 and valved-respirator) resulted in significant increases in CO2 concentrations, which exceeded the 8-h NIOSH exposure threshold limit value-weighted average (TLV-TWA). However, the increases in CO2 concentrations did not breach short-term (15-min) limits. Importantly, these levels were considerably lower than the long-term (8-h) NIOSH limits during donning JustAir® PAPR. There was a statistically significant difference between all pairs (p < 0.0001, except KN95 and valved-respirator (p = 0.25).

Conclusion: Although, significant increase in CO2 concentrations are noted with routinely used face-masks, the levels still remain within the NIOSH limits for short-term use. Therefore, there should not be a concern in their regular day-to-day use for healthcare providers. The clinical implications of elevated CO2 levels with long-term use of face masks needs further studies. Use of PAPR prevents relative hypercapnoea.

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33858372/

What happens during hypercapnia?

Hypoxia can also lead to a condition called hypercapnia. This occurs when the lungs retain too much carbon dioxide due to breathing difficulties. When you can’t breathe in, it’s likely you won’t be able to breathe out as you should. This may elevate your carbon dioxide levels in your bloodstream, which can be DEADLY

– https://www.healthline.com/health/hypercapnia#symptoms

What Happens When You Have Hypercapnia?

Hypercapnia changes the pH balance of your blood, making it too acidic. This can happen slowly or suddenly. If it happens slowly, your body may be able to keep up by making your kidneys work harder. Your kidneys release and reabsorb bicarbonate, a form of carbon dioxide, which helps keep your body’s pH level balanced.

A sudden rise in carbon dioxide, called acute hypercapnia, is more dangerous, because your kidneys can’t handle the spike. This is most likely to happen if you have a severe case of COPD or if you get a flare-up. Either way, you may be breathing too slowly, which means you aren’t taking in air and letting out carbon dioxide at a healthy rate 

– https://www.webmd.com/lung/copd/hypercapnia-copd-related

Hypercapnia, or hypercarbia, is a condition that arises from having too much carbon dioxide in the blood.

It is often caused by hypoventilation or disordered breathing where not enough oxygen enters the lungs and not enough carbon dioxide is emitted. There are other causes of hypercapnia, as well, including some lung diseases.

Hypercapnia symptoms can range from mild to severe. There are many potential causes of hypercapnia.

This article discusses the symptoms and causes of hypercapnia and outlines some treatment options available to help manage the condition. 

Symptoms

In cases where symptoms are mild and develop slowly over time, people may not even realize they have hypercapnia. Therefore, it is important to be aware of both mild and severe symptoms.

Mild symptoms

The following are considered to be mild symptoms of hypercapnia:

• dizziness
• drowsiness
• excessive fatigue
• headaches
• feeling disoriented
• flushing of the skin
• shortness of breath

These symptoms of hypercapnia may arise from shorter periods of shallow or slow breathing, such as during deep sleep.

They may not always be a cause for concern, as the body is often able to correct the symptoms and balance carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream without intervention.

However, if the above symptoms persist for several days, it is advisable to see a doctor.

Severe symptoms

The symptoms of severe hypercapnia require immediate medical attention, as they can cause long-term complications. Some cases may be fatal.

Severe hypercapnia symptoms include:

• confusion
• coma
• depression or paranoia
• hyperventilation or excessive breathing
• irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia
• loss of consciousness
• muscle twitching
• panic attacks
• seizures

Causes

There are many causes of hypercapnia including the following:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD

COPD is an umbrella term for several conditions that affect the breathing. Common forms of COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis leads to inflammation and mucus in the airways, while emphysema involves damage to the air sacs or alveoli in the lungs.

Both conditions can cause increased levels of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.

The main cause of COPD is long-term exposure to lung irritants. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTrusted Source, cigarette smoke is the most common lung irritant that causes COPD in the United States. Air pollution and exposure to chemicals or dust may also cause COPD.

Although not everyone with COPD will develop hypercapnia, a person’s risk increases as their COPD progresses.

Sleep apnea

The National Sleep Foundation report that between 5 and 20 percent of adults have sleep apnea.

This common condition is characterized by shallow breathing, or pauses in breathing, during sleep. It can interfere with the level of oxygen in the bloodstream and throw off the body’s balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen.

Sleep apnea symptoms include:

• daytime sleepiness
• headaches upon waking
• difficulty concentrating
• snoring

Genetics

Rarely, a genetic condition where the liver fails to produce enough alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) can cause hypercapnia. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a protein that is necessary for lung health, so AAT deficiency is a risk factor for COPD development.

Nerve disorders and muscular problems

In some people, the nerves and muscles necessary for proper lung function may not work correctly. For example, muscular dystrophy can cause the muscles to weaken, eventually leading to breathing problems.

Other disorders of the nervous or muscular systems that can contribute to hypercapnia include:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
• Encephalitis or when a person has inflammation of the brain.
• Guillain-Barré syndrome that can be caused by an abnormal immune response.
• Myasthenia gravis, a chronic disease that can weaken the skeletal muscles responsible for breathing.

Other causes

Other causes of high blood levels of carbon dioxide include:

• Activities that impact breathing, including diving or ventilator use.
• Brainstem stroke, which can affect breathing.
• Hypothermia, a medical emergency caused by rapid heat loss from the body.
• Obesity hypoventilation syndromes when overweight people cannot breathe deeply or quickly enough.
• An overdose of certain drugs, such as opioids or benzodiazepines.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320501#causes