I am writing to you to express how disturbed I am at the way children with disabilities and chronic health conditions, who have valid medical reasons that exempt them from wearing a mask, are being treated in Maine schools. Maine students are being forced to spend their whole day in "classrooms" that are more like tiny closets. They cannot interact with their peers, they must eat their lunch alone, and they cannot go to recess. That's seven or more hours every day, sitting in a closet, not interacting with anyone else except one teacher, for what looks to be the entire school year. It is not ok and it is detrimental to a student's mental health. It is segregation and isolation. The only person the student interacts with is their teacher, dressed in a gown, gloves, a mask, and a shield. Can you imagine how intimidating this feels to a student, all the while making them feel dirty and ashamed for something they have no control over. Other students, who can't wear masks for valid medical reasons, are being told the only choice they have is to wear the mask their doctor told them they shouldn't wear, or go home and do remote learning. This isn't a reasonable solution, especially for students who have special needs and find it difficult or impossible to utilize the technology for remote learning. Many will go from having built-in support through the day, or all the time, to zero supports, all of which are probable violations of IEPs, which schools must follow per federal law. Please take a minute to reach out to the Maine Director of Special Services, Erin Frazier, and ask her to re-think how kids with disabilities and chronic health conditions are being treated in school. The U.S. Department of Education has stated that FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education), ADA regulations, and Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must still be followed while we are in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Thank you for making sure all Maine kids get the education they deserve.