Witness Testimony

Pierre Attallah testified that he was actively involved in his children’s elementary school as both a volunteer and paid lunch supervisor when mask mandates were implemented. He stated that his younger son developed persistent hoarseness, and a school speech pathologist attributed the issue to prolonged voice strain from speaking louder while masked. An ear, nose, and throat specialist later confirmed vocal cord scarring. Attallah requested a medical mask exemption for his son, which was denied, and described physical irritation behind the ears and an incident in which his son was allegedly denied permission to call home after mask-related bleeding.
He further testified that his older son experienced distress during lunch supervision, including close monitoring by an educational assistant and alleged psychological pressure related to mask compliance. After submitting a notice of liability and written objections to the school, Attallah stated he was issued a no-trespass order, preventing him from accessing school property or directly communicating with staff. He reported filing a Freedom of Information request regarding an announced external investigation, which he says was denied, and stated that complaints to the Ombudsman yielded no timely resolution.
Attallah also testified that his employment as a lunch supervisor ended after he declined to disclose his vaccination status to the principal. He described progressive restriction of his communication with teachers and limited access to his children’s schoolwork. He expressed concern about long-term educational impacts from remote learning and administrative barriers and stated his intention to transition toward homeschooling. He concluded by criticizing what he characterized as belief-based rather than evidence-based policymaking during the pandemic.