Dallas parents with children in Catholic schools are giving the Dallas diocese a piece of their mind about the school mask mandate, using a medium that is sure to catch the bishop&#8217;s eye — billboard trucks.
Three dads rented billboard trucks with messages splashed across the side protesting the Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools mask mandate for students.
&#8220;Let Masks Be Optional And Let Parents Choose,&#8221; reads one of the billboard signs, along with a photo depicting schoolchildren wearing face masks.
&#8220;Less Than 1% Of Kids At Dallas Diocese Schools Have Had Covid. Why Mandate Masks?&#8221; reads another.
&#8220;No Logic,&#8221; blares another sign. &#8220;Your Kids Must Wear Masks At School But Not At Sunday Mass.&#8221;
Other billboard messages read, &#8220;Join Us In Protecting Our Children&#8217;s Rights!&#8221; and &#8220;Long Term Consequences Unknown.&#8221;
One message features a graph of declining COVID hospitalizations, and one claims children have worn masks at school for a grand total of 357 hours this year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Parents hired billboard trucks to drive outside the Dallas diocese offices this week. After months of frustration, they&#39;re giving the bishop a piece of their mind on the school mask mandate.
Story TC! <a href="https://t.co/wI1clzew3q">pic.twitter.com/wI1clzew3q</a>
&mdash; Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1453123748517892101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
The trucks were sent to drive near the Dallas Diocese offices as well as St. Monica Catholic School on Monday and Christ the King Catholic School on Tuesday morning, one of the dads told The Daily Wire.
The flashy move comes after months of frustration among parents and the stonewalling of their concerns by the diocese.
Many parents were left feeling blindsided on August 9 when they <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catholic-diocese-threatened-to-expel-kids-whose-parents-opposed-mask-mandate">received a surprise email</a> from the Dallas diocese informing them that face masks would be required for all students at diocesan schools the next day, on the first day of school.
The letter cited the “clear and present danger for unvaccinated children” from the Delta variant of COVID-19 as well as rising virus cases in Texas. The Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools enrolls about 15,000 students at 31 schools.
Outraged parents immediately complained, calling and emailing the offices of Dallas Bishop Edward Burns and Superintendent Matthew Vereecke repeatedly before one dad finally got a response.
“It’s clear that we are not going to come to agreement on this,” Vereecke wrote in an August 12 email to Greg Morris, who has three children in diocese schools. “We understand that you disagree with the situation and the logic, and it doesn’t appear that further communication will be productive.”
Hundreds of like-minded parents organized into a group, which they dubbed Parents of Dallas Diocese Schools (DDS), to try to at least extract an explanation from the diocese regarding the mask mandate. A <a href="https://www.change.org/p/catholic-diocese-of-dallas-stop-mask-mandates-at-catholic-diocese-of-dallas-schools?recruiter=739559554&amp;recruited_by_id=e16ebcc0-5a94-11e7-ab8b-ada69b632cbb&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard">petition</a> against the mandate garnered nearly 1,500 signatures. The three dads even researched COVID numbers and crafted their own mask policy proposal and submitted it to the diocese, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, parents held several protests against the mask mandate. It was at one of these protests that a demonstrator held a sign calling on the bishop to stop the “child abuse” and raised the hackles of the diocese. At that point, the diocese switched gears and began threatening to expel the children of the three dads, they said, despite them having no connection to the sign. All three fathers were called in to meet with leadership at their children’s respective schools and warned that the diocese was considering expelling their kids if they did not back down on their opposition to the mask mandate, they said.
Asked whether parents who opposed the mask mandate were threatened with expulsion, the diocese responded that some parents took actions that were “disruptive.”
“In a few instances, parents have gone beyond expressing their concerns to actions that are disruptive to the administration of our schools. This violates the agreement parents sign when they enroll their students in diocesan private schools,” the diocese said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
The diocese also claimed it had offered a refund to families who were unwilling or unable to comply with a mask mandate. However, several parents said they had heard nothing about a refund.
The diocese&#8217;s mask mandate applies to all elementary and middle school students with no exemptions. Earlier this month, the diocese announced that it was relaxing masking rules for high school students.
One of the most infuriating aspects of the mandate for parents is that the diocese does not allow any medical mask exemptions, even for children suffering from breathing issues or headaches, and even for a three-year-old who is struggling with speech issues.
Parents have been &#8220;frustrated as to the lack of response and transparency&#8221; from the diocese, a spokesperson for Parents of DDS organization told The Daily Wire, adding that &#8220;everyone has simply had enough.&#8221;
&#8220;Per the latest numbers, there has been a dramatic drop in COVID related hospitalizations and deaths in our area (at every age group) and the mask mandate from the Diocese is simply inappropriate and uncalled for at this stage,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;We will continue to be an advocate for our children’s health and will continue to demand transparency and data based decision making from the Dallas Diocese.&#8221;

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Dallas Parents Hire Billboard Trucks To Blast Diocese School Mask Mandate

Your Child’s School Might Still Be Pushing Transgender Ideology Despite Trump’s Orders

Trump Says MSNBC Changed Name Because It’s ‘Ashamed’

Plant-Based Beyond Meat Denies It’s Filing For Bankruptcy Amid Falling Sales

Democrats Love Citing This One Climate Change Study. Turns Out It’s All Bogus.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Proposes Law To Involuntarily Commit Drug Addicts

The Feds Took Over The DC Police In The 90s, Too. Here’s How That Went.

News and Commentary

COVID

Dallas

Mask Mandate

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Menu

— News and Commentary —

Dallas Parents Hire Billboard Trucks To Blast Diocese School Mask Mandate