You're being lied to. Our children are in danger.

I am a living testament to the devastating effects of Long COVID. Once an active individual, I now grapple with a multitude of cardiological, neurological, pulmonary, and vascular issues that have rendered me disabled and unable to work.

Having contracted COVID three times has not only contributed to my Long COVID (LC) getting worse, I had LC after my first infection, but has also caused continued damage to my entire body and will continue to do so with repeat infections until antivirals are made available.

As of now, there is no cure. 

What's This Have To Do With Clean Air In Schools?

This is not just my story and the story of millions of others (many in much worse health); it's the potential narrative for our children (and teachers/school administrators/etc.) if we don't take action now.

With the rise in measles, meningitis/septicemia, and other airborne viral/bacterial infections alongside continued COVID infections, our children face a significant threat of disability and/or death through repeat infections.

This cumulative destruction will take an even greater toll on our youth as they have their whole lives ahead of them.

Baltimore County Superintendent Myriam Rogers said it herself when she stated, “This budget takes a thoughtful, strategic approach to helping our school system fast forward. Investments in our greatest areas of need are needed right now, simply because our students and staff can't wait.” read more via WYPR.

Top 3 Reasons to sign/share immediately...

The need is real and urgent:

Theo is 12 and has been battling #LongCOVID for 4 years. Watch his video on Good Morning America. 

To think of a child enduring something like this, while not entirely preventible, classrooms are a major site of all illness transmission.

George McKee Zajfen, only 9 years old, died after battling COVID19 and viral meningitis (on the rise as noted above/below). Reading this story in People is heartbreaking. Reading this story is reality. Georgie's mother Kelly is my age. George, the same age of my oldest. When you can see yourself in others, it makes taking action all that much easier.

If you're human, these stories will make you cry.

If you're committed to making a difference, you'll sign and share this petition.

We're letting this happen. I implore you to speak up and take action!

The reason is bad and getting worse:

"A paper published on April 8 in The Lancet presents strong evidence that the COVID-19 virus can persist for months, or even years, after infection.

“These findings greatly bolster evidence that the coronavirus can linger in tissue and organs, even after recovery from acute infection,” PolyBio said in an April 8 news release."

 

 

*Yale School of Public Health

“The fact that every new SARS-CoV-2 infection has the potential to become chronic is perhaps the single most concerning aspect of this virus” says Dr. Amy Proal, President of PolyBio. “We have compelling data that viral persistence is much more common than recognized which could have major health implications.”" 
Read More: Yahoo News

The Government Knows It and Is Slowly Taking Action:

• Monica Bertagnolli, NIH Director...
  
  "Faust: I just want to follow up on something you said a moment ago about where this virus can be found in tissues. Are you suggesting that long COVID is actually, the mechanism of that, is persistent live virus in humans?
  
  Bertagnolli: We see evidence of persistent live virus in humans in various tissue reservoirs, including surrounding nerves, the brain, the GI [gastrointestinal] tract, to the lung.
  
  Faust: OK. And you're saying this goes beyond the PCR's [polymerase chain reaction test] ability to get it in a regular swab so that we are missing chronic cases of SARS‑CoV‑2?
  
  Bertagnolli: Correct. The virus can persist in tissues for months, perhaps even years." Read More via MedPage Today

• "Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) launched the Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total HEalth (BREATHE) program to create a scalable platform to improve indoor air quality across the country.
  
  Poor indoor air quality is a leading cause of preventable diseases like COVID, the flu, and other respiratory illnesses. Airborne disease-causing pathogens and allergens can have a significant effect on people’s health, especially children, the elderly, and those living with chronic illnesses or are otherwise susceptible."

• The US Department of Education is requesting schools use remaining #ARPfunds to reduce absenteeism!
  
  ARP Funds Announcement

More News that Illustrates The Urgent Need for Clean Air in Schools...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millions-kids-long-covid-study-symptoms-mother-searching-for-answers/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/us-measles-cases-2024-so-far-rcna145013

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/28/health/cdc-alert-bacterial-infection/index.html 

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/31/1241897770/bird-flu-dairy-cows-idaho-kansas-texas-michigan-new-mexico *not confirmed airborne, but a significant threat

Baltimore County and City Public Schools must prioritize clean air for the health and future of our children. 

This Isn't Just About COVID, But COVID Is The Linchpin!

 

 

*Researchers, patients, activists & science illustrate how no one is safe from the threat of COVID persistence.

Because testing is no longer mass utilized, masks are no longer mandated, symptoms are often invisible until damage has occurred, vaccines are now weak with prevention of only a few months and COVID mutating rapidly, COVID's transmission and destruction have accelerated to an unfathomable speed.

It's unthinkable and reckless that our school system is putting our children in harms way to almost certainly become chronically ill and/or disabled without proper precautions being implemented.

“Kids don't come home and say, 'Mom, I have postexertional malaise, I have brain fog. What happens is that they start doing poorly in school, and parents find out weeks and weeks later.” —Ziyad Al-Aly, MD

We demand immediate action from school officials to implement effective air filtration systems utilizing HEPA filtration, UV-C light, and CO2 monitoring better protecting every classroom within all schools across Baltimore County and Baltimore City. This includes regular maintenance checks and updates on system efficiency so that parents can be assured their children are learning in environments that are as safe as possible. ASHRAE Standard 241 outlines a current science-based foundation to follow. Learn more here.

We also demand the education of public school system employees via COVID Safety for Schools (https://www.covidsafetyforschools.org/ to ensure the current knowledge necessary to educate and empower those working in education.

The time for change is now before more lives are irreversibly damaged from simply attempting to get an education. Sign this petition today (and please share it too) to demand improved air quality in Baltimore County and City Public Schools - because every child deserves a healthy future!