The COVID-19 pandemic cannot be ignored any longer. The case count in the US is increasing exponentially, and there are many unidentified cases.

Governor Parson should take the step of closing Missouri public schools to reduce transmission of this virus. In allowing school closure to remain a local decision, he made a statement not supported by fact. Children are infected by and can transmit COVID-19, even though their symptoms may be slower to present and milder than adults. It’s not enough to send sick kids home: most (73%) virus transmission is from people who were asymptomatic.

The convenient timing of spring break gives us an excellent opportunity for families to adapt to this transition. Suspending school until more is known and students have quarantined is Missouri’s most impactful action to flatten the curve. We believe there are out-of-the-box solutions to providing school lunches (perhaps bus drivers continue their routes, with meals instead of students to those in need). Seattle has turned their schools into food distribution centers.

Please keep our children and families safe---do not allow schools to be a vector for this disease!

Please sign this petition, and please call Governor Parson at (573) 751-3222 or @GovParsonMO, and Board of Education Commissioner Vandeven at (573) 751-4212 to let them know that you want Missouri’s children at home, where they cannot spread COVID-19, until April 12.

For more information about how to stop COVID-19, visit endcoronavirus.org