A new organization formed last month called the Northland Parent Association (NPA) a group of parents working to remove mask mandates in schools across Northland and Kansas City area. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the NPA’s intentions, message and goals. The leader and face of the NPA, Jay Richmond appeared on a well-known conservative radio show hosted by Chris Stigall to give a more clear representation of the message behind the NPA. “If you want to wear a mask or if you want to put your child in a mask or if your doctors recommend it, that’s perfectly fine but we live in America as far as I know & it should come down to parent choice,” He elaborates that the NPA isn’t against masks, vaccines or other preventative covid measures, they believe it’s their right to make that choice and mask mandates violate their personal freedoms.

As of August 29th, the NPA has filed a lawsuit listing several school districts including North Kansas City School District and their school board members. Some people may see this lawsuit as extreme measure but Jay Richmond argues they were given no other choice, “We’ve (the NPA) spoken out at every school board meeting across the Northlands including health board meetings and we decided we were not being listened to, everything was falling on deaf ears to those boards,”

Like minded parents expressed similar objections to the mask mandate during the North KC school board meetings. Many people argue the districts mask mandate is in students’ best interest, but parent Brandy Warts disagrees, questioning the District council, “What about the social and mental ramifications of this mandate? When we are mandated to wear masks physical risks and social and mental well-being are being ignored.”

The lawsuit also lists the Kansas City Council members as defendants in the case due to the city-wide mask mandate. In response to the NPA’s Lawsuit Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted:

Mayor Lucas statement on the Northland Parent Association’s lawsuit against Mayor Lucas and the Kansas City Council over the City’s indoor mask mandate: pic.twitter.com/gbziy970nr

— Mayor Quinton Lucas (@MayorLucasKC) August 30, 2021

Both the NKc school district and Kc City Council are planning to continue mask mandates in an effort to protect students and the surrounding communities. The NPA refuses to step down and will continue their efforts to abolish mask mandates. For now as students and parents we can make an effort to inform ourselves and form our own opinions on the mask mandate.