The new Virginia governor was sworn in Saturday. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican declared the end of mask mandates for Virginia public schools. Now parents can decide whether to allow their children to wear masks.
Youngkin’s executive ordeal has met fierce opposition from schools. Several districts—including Arlington and Alexandria City Public Schools, which both neighbor D.C.—vowed to openly defy the order, receiving encouragementJen Psaki, White House Press Secretary. The governor responded by stating that he will pursue every legal option to force schools to comply with his orders. let parents decideIndividually, the issue of masks.
It is important to end district-wide mandates for masking. Education officials defended mandatory masking by citing unpersuasive research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which should be rejected.
My request for comment was not answered by either Alexandria nor Arlington. Reached by The Daily CallerArlington Public Schools admittedTheir policy of obligatory masking for all ages 2 years and over was straight taken from the CDC. (Although Arlington initially chose to not comment at all, the communications personnel for the district retorted. toldPerhaps accidentally, the reporter said, “I do not recommend that you respond to.” The Daily Caller. “It won’t get you anywhere.
Gregory Hutchins, Alexandria superintendent, said that his child is a private student and the district would continue to follow the CDC’s findings that masks and other ACPS mitigation methods have helped to safeguard the safety and health of students and staff. He also stated that the school will remain open to in-person learning and will not change the mask requirement. Hutchins wrote to the community suggesting that the mask requirement may be removed. Continue reading Strenuous, not less. He claimed that he received KN95-masks and another alternative, double-masking. Nearly two years into the pandemic, the public education bureaucracy’s desire to compel all students to vigorously conceal their faces hasn’t weakened—in fact, it’s growing stronger.
The CDC is not as impressed with its research on mask mandates in schools than it seems. Atlantic It has pointed out numerous issues with the recommendations. They were based upon a “profoundly misleading study” of Arizona schools.
You should also note that masking is not an issue in all countries. Masks are not recommended for children under 6 years of age by the World Health Organization. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade should be permitted to remove their masks.
“Scientists generally agree that, according to the research literature, wearing masks can help protect people from the coronavirus, but the precise extent of that protection, particularly in schools, remains unknown—and it might be very small,” wrote AtlanticDavid Zweig. “The data that are available have been used to provide guidance in many ways.”
Masking may not be as effective in the context of COVID-19’s more contagious Omicron variant. Omicron managed to escape mitigation efforts almost completely; the disease seems less contagious than earlier strains. Individuals who have been vaccinated should expect to only experience mild symptoms. Aside from rare exceptions, healthy young adults have nothing to worry about.
All of this isn’t to say that wearing a face mask doesn’t have benefits. It is hard to justify the policy adopted by district officials in deciding this matter for all students. Yes, schools have been forced to participate in the Pandemic since the days of local politicians. The majority masked environments. Muriel Bowser was the only D.C. mayor to relax the mask ordinance. She has maintained it for schools. The faces of young people are the most hidden.
Family members should be empowered to access the funds being allotted to public schools and then use them to pay for an individual education. Public school administrators who refuse to give families choice in a less than ideal world should admit that science doesn’t support them.