Voices of the Students

“You’re ugly.”

“I hope your family gets sick.” 

“I’m going to kill you.” 

“I’m going to beat you up at school.”

These were just a few of the hundreds of hate comments targeted at Macy Ferenstein after posting on her Instagram account, encouraging  students to refuse to wear a mask in class to protest the county-wide mask mandate. However, Ferenstein believes that her views got twisted in the chaos and controversy. 

“We’re a pro-mask choice, we’re not anti-mask. People are getting confused, I would never go up to someone and say take your mask off, I’m just saying you should have a choice. I was hoping that by posting that, other kids who also don’t want to wear their mask in class would see that they are not alone, that we’re going to be doing this together, and that they would feel more comfortable taking their mask off.”

Ferenstein says she knew that she would face backlash following her post, but she didn’t expect to be met with the level of hate she received.

“The response has been kind of disappointing because it’s kind of a reflection of society today. I don’t think that when you post your political opinion, your opinion on anything honestly, you should be faced with insults. Honestly, that’s really sad to me because I would love to have respectful debates and I would be happy doing that,” said Ferenstein. “I’m not going to engage in hate and I’m not going to perpetuate hate.”

Despite the hundreds of hateful comments and messages, Ferenstein is hopeful for the movement’s success and doesn’t regret anything she has done. She believes that the controversy has brought more awareness to the ongoing debate and has started an active dialogue on campus. 

Ferenstein also believes that there are more supporters for lifting the mask mandate than people think, but believes the backlash she received has scared students who agree with her to speak up. 

“What motivates me to keep going is that I know there are people who have reached out to me and said they’re grateful for me and wish that they had the courage to speak out too,” said Ferenstein.

Part of the reason why Ferenstein and her demonstration has faced significant hostility is due to  student concerns for the safety of their immunocompromised family members if students were to stop wearing masks. Ferenstein believes that people have made assumptions about her and her life without knowing who she is, including her health. 

“My mom has an autoimmune disease, and I have a disease called Gaucher Disease,” said Ferenstein. “My spleen and liver are both compromised, and your spleen affects your immune system.” 

Ferenstein claims that the environment on campus has been hostile to her and other students long before this incident, and San Juan Hills has a significant bullying problem that has yet to be addressed properly. 

“We need consequences for bullying, we need consequences for harassment, we need consequences for threats.”

Ferenstein believes that while the administration has reached out to her offering support, it isn’t enough. She has declined their offer of a police escort because concern for her safety isn’t the only reason she isn’t returning to campus, it’s also due to the silent hostility she believes she would face if she were to go back to class.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel welcome or safe back on the campus,” said Ferenstein. “I think we all have to collectively want to be a more respectful student body.”