Commentary and Opinion by Samuel Strait – March 1, 2022 It is often said that parents should think of their children's welfare before they think of their own. For most parents that is the case. Through thick and thin, their children's welfare is upper most in their minds. Throughout society, a young person holds a special place in the minds of most adults. How often have you heard the sentiment, "We are doing this for the children"? If your occupation is the care and education of children, one would think that this was especially true to our educational community, especially teachers. For those who left before Thursday night's Del Norte Unified School District Board Meeting ended at nearly 11:30 in the pm, an encore was scheduled for the following Monday at 4:30 pm to discuss the district's staff and masking. Embarrassing enough to listen to self absorbed teachers and their Union leadership, who have forgotten who is most important, whine on Thursday evening about the ramifications of not toeing the line with California's OSHA and CDPH, but to have a repeat session earlier today at the district's special meeting was above and beyond. It seems the Teacher's talking points have evolved from health safety and compassion for others, to the "dangers" that the action the district did take would have on them and their career path. I don't suppose most who are complaining loud and vociferously were aware of the fact that they chose to be teachers and set children's education above all else. May be that isn't necessarily the case for some, at least those doing the whining. Marshall Jones, the Del Norte Teacher's Association's chief whiner was in full throttle complaining about the "what if that failed to materialize". The district's board elected to leave the teaching staff and district's employees masked and provided assurances in a Memorandum Of Understanding that the district would protect them from any liability from the board's decision to change the masking enforcement for the district's students. This coverage of liability was extended to all the district's employees. Even though it was made very clear early on at the Special Session the district's employees would be "taken care of", the audience continued to hear about Insurance coverage being dropped despite assurances this would not be the case, credentialing jeopardy, financial ruin, and inability to be able to teach "any where in California". Nowhere did there appear to be any concern for the malignancy that masking had wrought on the district's students. Instead, the full folder of "fear mongering" was on display for the district's employees to feast on, while calling parents who actually care about the welfare of their children and their education were being vilified as "a MOB, bent on 'bullying' the board over their demands". This characterization did not go over well with some on the Board and Mr. Jones was made aware of that displeasure. Granted, California will be doing away with the masking requirement for all on the 11th of March, with students able to return to their classroom on the 14th of March also unmasked. Splitting hairs over masking was not in the cards for the district's teachers and their unions during the Special Board Meeting, but the audience got another dose of ME, ME, MEEEEEE, out of a couple of the district's teachers and their Unions. Mr. Jones felt it necessary to carry the Union's water and take a swipe at the parents of students who showed up Thursday night. It must have been a great disappointment for Mr. Jones when the union demands were granted by the board without much resistance and his pointless theatrics were unnecessary. Quite the display. Unfortunate for those teachers who have educated themselves and will find it necessary to remain masked up for a further nine days to mollify their brethren who remain ignorant about the pointlessness of masking.