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State Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley’s ruling aligns Massachusetts with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that children must be masked at school because the Delta variant of COVID-19 triggers a resurgence of infections across the country.
Colleges and high schools that can show that at least 80% of students and staff are vaccinated before October 1 can then lift the mask mandate, but only for those who are vaccinated. Since vaccines have not yet been approved for children under 12, these students would continue to wear masks, meaning most elementary school educators would have to keep their masks on for now as well.
Some parent groups have opposed masks in schools, arguing that face coverings can harm children. But medical experts say the masks are necessary to protect children who don’t have a vaccine available, and the benefits outweigh the potential harm.
What do we know about masks and their effectiveness in schools?
The American Academy of Pediatrics – along with many doctors and scientists – support universal masking policies as the best chance to keep schools safe and open. A well-fitting mask that covers the nose and mouth reduces the amount of viral droplets in the air exchanged by people breathing or talking next to each other, said Dr Ibukun Kalu, pediatric infectious disease expert at Duke University Medical Center.
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of masks. One of the largest, conducted by the ABC Collaborative with Duke University, analyzed data from public schools in North Carolina where masks were required. Researchers found that from March to June, 7,000 children and adults attended school while infected with COVID, resulting in 40,000 “close contacts” being quarantined. Of these, only 363 contracted the virus.
This low transmission rate at school was largely due to masks, Kalu said, as most schools did not improve ventilation or socially estranged students.
In contrast, 153 students and 25 staff were infected at a school in Israel without a mask warrant or social distancing. And recent outbreaks in summer camps and children’s schools in Georgia and Florida show how quickly COVID can spread among unmasked and unvaccinated people, Kalu said.
“We saw that masking in the school environment reduced transmission within the school,” Kalu said. The Delta variant adds an emergency to the masks this year, she said, especially for children under 12 who are not eligible for vaccination.
Even though children are at a lower risk of serious illness and death compared to older adults, Kalu said, both still occur: “COVID is still severe enough that if we can do what we can to prevent a case , we should have as little impact as masking.
What are the potential disadvantages of masks?
Some teachers, parents and scientists are concerned about masks that interfere with the learning or development of social, language and vocal skills, especially for very young or already struggling children.
While young children rely on mouth observation to learn to speak, they receive enough unmasked interactions during meals, games and baths at home to develop language, according to an article jointly published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Speech-Language. Hearing association.
“Most of the interactions a child will have during the language learning phase will be at home with adults who are not wearing masks,” said Diane Paul, clinical director of speech therapy for the American Speech-Language- Association of Hearing.
After reviewing published scientific studies, the association found no evidence that face masks interfere with speech and language development, Paul said.
She recommends that teachers or masked caregivers follow long-standing good communication practices: facing the child and getting his or her attention before speaking; speak slowly and loudly; use eyes, hands, body language and changes in tone; ask the child if he has understood; and reduce distractions. Some educators also wear transparent masks to help hearing-impaired children read their lips.
Still, there is some disagreement over when it is appropriate for children to wear masks. The CDC does not recommend that children under the age of 2 do this. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization advises against masks for children 5 and under due to their lower sensitivity to COVID, issues with proper use, and the possibility that masks could interfere with their learning. , their socialization and their communication.
“The benefits of wearing masks in children for controlling COVID-19 must be weighed against the potential harms associated with wearing masks, including feasibility and discomfort, as well as social and communication issues.” , said the WHO.
Daniele Lantagne, an infectious disease expert at Tufts University who helped develop the WHO guidelines on masking children, said many young children like hers had no problem wearing masks and should just wear them in schools. But others struggle because they are very young or have disabilities or developmental delays. They should be allowed to forgo masks with distancing or other measures, she said. The state mandate allows such exceptions in schools.
For children aged 6 to 12, WHO recommends taking into account local levels of COVID and the potential impact of wearing a mask on learning and social development.
Some countries are focusing school safety strategies more on testing because they believe masking interferes with teacher-child communication, Lantagne said. Because in part of the WHO guidelines, many European countries such as England, Norway, Ireland and Switzerland do not require masks, or in some cases even advise against them, for children of elementary age.
Local and state masking guidelines should be reassessed every two to three months amid changes in the COVID picture, Lantagne said.
“Right now we have relatively high transmission,” Lantagne said. “We need to avoid, ‘We’re just going to put masks on the kids for the next five years. … There may be longer term impacts on speech.
Health experts emphasize that the compromise is worth it to save lives.
“The advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages of a deadly pandemic where more than 400 children have died,” said Dr. Paul Offit, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases and virology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “It is not your civil liberty to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection. It is not a personal choice; it is a choice you make for others.
Should vaccinated students in heavily vaccinated communities still wear masks?
Experts disagree on this issue. The CDC has advised everyone to wear masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status, citing evidence that vaccinated people can still be infected and likely spread COVID, despite facing personal risks. much lower serious illness, hospitalization and death.
But under new rules, the Baker administration said colleges and high schools with more than 80% of students and staff vaccinated before October 1 can lift their masking warrants.
Lantagne said removing school mask warrants in such cases could well be in conjunction with other security measures.
“If there aren’t a lot of cases in the community and high vaccination rates, you can say, ‘We can reduce the number of layers of protection,’” she said.
But Kalu said masking would still be an important way to keep vaccinated students in school learning.
“It’s reassuring to live in a community where vaccination rates for children and adults are high,” Kalu said. “However, if the masking is voluntary, it is likely to be much less effective in preventing transmission and much less effective in preventing quarantine, which has also been a huge burden on the K-12 school environment.”
Naomi Martin can be reached at [email protected].
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