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Who is Linda Sexton? Norman school board member says maskless kids could ‘commit murder’

Linda Sexton, a member of the Norman school board, proposed that the district sue governor Kevin Stitt and demanded mask mandates in schools

After warning that elementary school students may commit murder if they did not wear masks, a school board member was captured on film asking for a mandatory mask regulation, considering the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, news outlets reported on Tuesday, August 10.

The coronavirus is one of the most significant challenges that humanity has faced in the 21st century. New strains of the virus are evolving, making the fight against it more difficult. However, though relief is available, many people appear to reject it. Masks, in particular, have been a bone of contention among parents with regards to school-going children. Recently, writer Bethany Mandel was slammed for sharing pictures of dirty disposable masks questioning 'progressives' for 'scaring' their children into wearing them.

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Now, Linda Sexton, a member of the Norman school board, has proposed that the district sue governor Kevin Stitt over Senate Bill 658. The new law bars school districts from requiring masks or Covid-19 immunizations unless the governor declares an emergency.

Children account for 13% of all Covid-19 cases and less than 1% of all Covid-19 deaths in Oklahoma, according to KOCO. Stitt signed a bill in May banning school districts from imposing mask regulations unless another state of emergency exists. Unless there is a state of emergency in their area, Oklahoma schools cannot mandate their kids to wear masks. Around 65% of school districts across the state have enacted some form of mask mandate.

Who is Linda Sexton?

Linda Sexton is a member of the Norman school board. The University of Oklahoma (OU) graduate has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Public relations. She also studied political science while at OU and was part of the OU Band. She studied at Okmulgee High School. According to her LinkedIn profile, Sexton is a Board of Education Member in Norman, Oklahoma since 2005. "I spend my time on education matters, helping out with grandchildren, volunteering for a number of things, and helping to maintain a connected neighborhood," she writes of her work.

Sexton has previously worked as Assistant Director of Marketing and Events at the Norman Firehouse Art Center from 1993 to 2005. Her work included "writing and editing a newsletter, planning and advertising events, newspaper and magazine advertising layout, public and broadcast speaking, class coordination and a bit of administrative activity." She was also Assistant to the Director at the Jacobson House Native American Cultural Center where she did "a little of everything: payroll and bookkeeping, advertising, public relations".

At a school board meeting later broadcast online, Sexton raged for almost two minutes, urging the Norman Public School board to reject the Republican governor's no-mask mandate and take legal action to protect the students, the Daily Mail reported. "If there's any way that we could get this changed, I hope we can because it's just not okay for kids to commit murder by coming to school without a mask, and when it comes down to it, it's possible that they will cause a death of another child because they come to school without a mask," she said.

"If there's any way between now and the beginning of school to get this changed, I hope we can, because it's just not OK for kids to commit murder by coming to school without a mask and when it comes down to it, it's possible. They will cause the death of another child because they come to school without a mask. That's not OK.” Sexton said.

Sexton is also urging neighboring school districts to oppose the Governor in order to protect "our little kids" from a virus five times more contagious than "the one we masked everyone for last year." "I would like to find a way to stand up as a district and get our surroundings superintendents to stand up with us to protect our little kids," she said. "It's insane to send five and six and seven and eight all the way through eleven-year-olds, who don't have a choice about the vaccine to sit in a classroom where people can spread a deadly disease and not even know they're sick, and not even know in three days that they're going to be sick, but they are spreading it today because that's the way it works with this disease."

She's also advocating for legal action against the governor in the hopes of enacting a mask law before the start of the school year. "I want to pursue the legal avenues we have to defy Governor Stitt - and that's not how I like to pronounce his name, by the way." 

Sexton went on to explain that she believes those who aren't wearing masks should be the ones escaping to virtual school. "I don't think any parent with an asthmatic six-year-old, eight-year-old or 12-year-old should have to make that choice that their child can't go to school because some other kid is going to spread a germ that could kill them," she said. 

Stitt in a press conference said, "The difference is we're not going to mandate that somebody else has to send their 4-year-old to school with a mask". Oklahoma is seeing an increase in new COVID cases, with 6,328 new cases reported on August 9 and a seven-day average of nearly 2,000 new cases. According to the Oklahoman, Stitt's rule forbids schools from compelling students to get vaccinated, as well as their vaccination status limiting their attendance or access to class and campus.