A rally opposing mandates for kids took place outside the Minnesota Department of Education building in Roseville, Minnesota on Wednesday. The rally, organized by Mark Bishofsky, had around 200 attendees. Bishofsky has organized several other protests in the last few months, hosting one of the largest Stop The Mandate protests at the Minnesota State Capitol.
The rally took place following the approval of COVID vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. After that decision, Education Minnesota, a large Minnesota teachers’ union, encouraged state leaders to “be bold” and have vaccine clinics in schools.
Bishofsky, a former respiratory therapist at Lakeville Hospital, quit his job and pulled his three sons out of public school because of the masking and vaccination mandates. Bishofsky told The Minnesota Sun that he resigned his position at the hospital “in an act of non-compliance with regard to giving up our rights to refuse medical treatment (vaccine).”
At the Wednesday rally, five main speakers talked through a bullhorn sharing their concerns regarding mandates in Minnesota schools, including Michael Toombs, a respiratory therapist, Dr. Matt Scott with Mask Off MN, Nurse Anna, and Doug Wardlow, a candidate for Minnesota attorney general.
Nurse Anna, who also goes by the nickname “No Jab Nurse,” shared stories about her experience working in a hospital during COVID. Anna said that one of her duties was reporting coworkers who tested positive to the state and shared how one single person was counted as three separate COVID cases.
Many people honked and waved in support, including drivers with UPS and Metro Transit.
Bishofsky told The Sun that the point of the rally was to give children a voice. He said he wants to tell the Minnesota Department of Education that “we need exemptions for this and all vaccines.” He said that they were also standing in opposition to teachings aligning with Critical Race Theory.
“There has been legislation talked about that may get introduced in the next session to remove all [vaccine] exemptions for students, whether homeschooled or in the public system,” Bishofsky said.
Bishofsky also announced an upcoming rally that will be taking place outside a local Minnesota television station, KSTP, on November 20 at 3:00 p.m.
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
