Mask mandates in schools. My two cents.
Today, the governor of the great state of Texas issued an executive order prohibiting government entities from requiring masks. Those that do try and enforce masks will be fined up to $1000. This includes public schools. And Texas is not the first state to do so following CDC’s announcement last week.
I’ve gotten thousands of messages from worried parents looking for direction.
And I honestly don’t know what to tell you. I feel as helpless as you. As a mom. And as a scientist.
In the perfect world, evidence based science is used to inform policy. Science can’t help when it’s ignored. Epidemiologists can’t help when our solutions are not endorsed.
Also, in the perfect world, your fellow community members would wear a mask for the health of your child.
But we don’t live in a perfect world.
Masks work. They just do.
And they work in K-12 schools too. We saw this in Florida schools.
We saw this in Missouri schools.
We saw this in Utah schools.
We saw this in rural Wisconsin schools.
We basically saw it everywhere it was rigorously studied.
So, what can we do as parents with kids under 12?
Well, we can hope vaccines get here quicker than September 2021. For those in summer school, though, we are out of luck.
We (vaccinated parents) can wear masks to set an example. Kids follow suit. If parents wear masks, kids will. If older students wear masks, kids will. If teachers wear masks, kids will.
We can advocate for our kids and start asking about vaccination statuses when our kids are around people for more than 15 minutes indoors.
We (unvaccinated parents) need to get vaccinated. If you haven’t done this for yourself, do it for your kid. Do it for the neighbor’s kid. If anything, your vaccine will help reduce community transmission, and thus transmission in schools.
Encourage testing at your kids school. Test, test, test. The more we test the more we know which kids have covid and stop the transmission chain. There are strategic ways to implement surveillance testing in schools. Consult with an epidemiologist. Or, at least you can start here.
We can vote for politicians that believe in the utility of science for public policy. Or better yet, encourage scientists to run for office.
I’m not entirely sure how to end this post...Good luck? May the odds be ever in your favor? Long live individual freedom?
I’m with you.
Love YLE
As a member of the healthcare field my wife and I are keeping our children home and out of school, up until vaccines are made available to those under 12. At which point we will allow our children to return to school, but will tell them to remain masked as much as possible.
Our local schools claimed to have mask mandates prior to the CDC's announcement, but they didnt really. They allowed children to remove masks when seated at desks with plexiglass providers, and when crowded into the cafeteria for lunch. So they were essentially maskless the majority of the day. Which is why our children have been out of school this entire time.
I really don't understand not only pulling requirements but stating they will fine anyone enforcing it in their location. I'm lucky that at my work we are still enforcing wearing masks for our employees and our customers (I am located in NC). I worry about those who are still unvaccinated. I worry about kids under 12. I worry about kids under 16 who haven't had a chance to get their vaccine yet. I have a coworker who refuses to get vaccinated until it's "officially approved by the FDA, not just emergency-approved"... I've tried to explain why she should just go get it, for her grandkids sake at least! I was lucky to get vaccinated early as a healthcare professional, and I've been able to keep my kids safe and at home, but I know they need to get back to school and socialization. As soon as they turn 12 they are getting vaccinated and then off to middle school they go.
Good luck to us all! We are in this together. Thank you for being outspoken about what the science is telling us, even if it's not what politicians are saying. Keep up the good fight!