As Americans face the prospect of reopened schools, some are deathly afraid.

Case in point: Austin resident Jenny Gillis, who recently posted an impassioned plea.

According to Jenny’s website — Heart Soul Joy — she’s “a high school English teacher with a passion for cooking, organizing, and traveling.”

But her heart, soul, and joy have been hurt: She’s going to have to travel to work, where noses and mouths won’t all be masked.

In Jenny’s home state, the governor is battling mandates.

On Sunday, the Texas Tribune announced, “Siding With Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Mask Orders in Dallas and Bexar Counties.”

It’s been quite the fight.

On the 11th, The Federalist noted, “Dallas County, a leftist hub in the red state of Texas, is doing everything in its power to defy Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates…”

“After issuing a statewide mask mandate last July, then revoking it this spring,” the outlet continued, “Abbott issued an executive order in May banning mask mandates by government entities such as counties, cities, school districts, and health officials across the Lone Star State.”

And teacher Jenny, for one, is distraught.

As she explains in her video, this year is unique:

“I have had my regular back-to-school anxieties…but this year, there is this overshadowing apprehension that’s clouding my normal…thoughts.”

She gets choked up:

“And it’s with thoughts like, ‘If I die, who’s gonna take care of my children?'”

Or what if she passes it on:

“[I]f I give COVID to my students or my own children and they die, how am I gonna live with that?”

She’s positive all teachers everywhere are the same in this regard:

“I want you to ask any teacher how they feel this year, and I’m sure that they will tell you that they have never experienced anxiety like this…”

Jenny sees the lack of masks as downright murderous; death, it appears, is imminent:

“[I]t is like we are trying to protect our students from a mass shooting we know is coming but cannot do anything about…”

This Texas teacher is on the verge of tears talking about what it’s like working in a school that isn’t allowed to require masks. pic.twitter.com/hZYPX3z8xQ

— Kolleen (@littlewhitty) August 14, 2021

Jenny adds, “Except we can do something about it, it’s just that not everyone agrees that wearing a mask will stop the onslaught of students and staff who are likely to become sick.”

She’s certainly right about that — not everyone agrees.

In fact, Dr. Fauci hasn’t agreed, at times, with Dr. Fauci from other times:

Viral video putting together Tony Fauci's litany of mask contradictions. pic.twitter.com/B3YaLUV519

— Politico (@Politic56721677) July 29, 2021

It’s an era of confusion, and Jenny is — I believe — not nearly alone.

Part of the country is filled with fear.

The teacher talks of “making emergency sub-plans in quarantining and going to the hospital.”

“The constant dialogue,” she says, “is how those bills are gonna get paid. And we’re wondering what legal rights we have, because we don’t have mask mandates in place across the board.”

Perhaps she’d be comforted by some statistics.

Before the vaccine was distributed, the CDC reported America’s 0-19-years-old COVID survival ratio as 99.99997.

Kids are, however, in danger: A plethora of threats may cause harm.

COVID is one: Per the CDC, in 2021/2021, 354 Americans ages 0-17 were killed by the virus.

Taken by pneumonia: 859.

By comparison, consider the National Security Council’s 2019 causes of death for ages 0-14:

Car Accidents: 1282
Drowning: 645

Per The New York Times, COVID was bested in 2020 by nine other threats to Americans under 18:

• Injury
• Suicide
• Cancer
• Homicide
• Congenital Anomalies
• Heart Disease
• Flu
• Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
• Cerebrovascular Issues

Still, Jenny and many others face a world of worry.

There’s a state of profound panic.

Hence, she’s heard teachers “having conversations about finding affordable attorneys so that they can make a will.”

Fortunately, for them, there’s a vaccine.

Beyond that, would a mask mandate make everything right?

Either way, many children will doubtlessly still mask up.

Nonetheless, Jenny notes, “[A]cross the board, we’re worried. And we’re tired of fighting parents who feel like mask mandates violate rights.”

She’s definitely not alone.

It’s a scary time.

And to make matters worse, those anti-maskers — according to NBC — are possibly terror threats:

What percentage of Americans are potential terrorists now? pic.twitter.com/3J8JYetoNU

— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) August 14, 2021

Stay safe, everyone.

And to Jenny: I hope your school year improves.

-ALEX

See more pieces from me:

Major University Professor Fights Math’s ‘Harbor for Whiteness’

Minnesota Eyes K-12 Social Studies Criteria Coaching Kids on Gender Evolution and ‘Systems of Power’

Not Hollywood: Kirstie Alley Joins the Chorus Against Erasing Women

Find all my RedState work here.

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