‘Psychological child abuse.’ Listen to Rep. Cawthorn slam NC district’s mask mandate
A congressman dropped in on a North Carolina school board meeting — and slammed the district’s COVID-19 mask mandate.
“Forcing our children to wear a mask is nothing short of psychological child abuse, period,” U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican, told Buncombe County Schools officials on Thursday. “Their social skills are stunted.”
The remarks came after leaders in the Asheville-area district voted 4-2 to require unvaccinated students and workers to wear face masks when the school year starts on Aug. 23, WLOS reported. Cawthorn joined more than two dozen people who spoke about the decision during the school board’s public comment period, according to the TV station.
“I’ve witnessed swampy back-door tactics from corrupt bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., but what you have done here today puts that all to shame,” Cawthorn said in a video of the meeting posted to YouTube.
Cawthorn criticized the mandate as health officials have recommend everyone mask up while working at or attending K-12 schools this fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people to wear face coverings in school buildings, even if they are vaccinated.
Statewide, Gov. Roy Cooper ended a mask mandate in schools and is letting districts make their own decisions.
As the school year approaches, the topic has sparked debate at school board meetings across North Carolina. While some parents have said wearing masks should be a choice left up to families, others argue requiring face coverings can help protect children under age 12, who are not yet eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, The News & Observer reported.
As of Wednesday, community coronavirus transmission in Buncombe County was considered “high.” Health officials urge people in areas with “high” or “substantial” transmission to wear masks indoors as the delta variant continues its spread.
It’s not the first time Cawthorn has weighed in on controversial topics during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Western North Carolina congressman has criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and said during a radio interview that an effort to spread the word about vaccines might be used to “go door to door to take your guns. They could then go door to door to take your Bibles,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
Cawthorn was elected to Congress in 2020 after pulling an upset in that year’s GOP primary. He represents North Carolina’s 11th district, in the mountains.
