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FILE – In this file photo from August 11, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom sits with students in a sophomore class at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. As COVID-19 cases increase, a majority of Americans say they support mask mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools, but their views are sharply divided along political lines. (Santiago Mejia / San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
BOSTON – As COVID-19 cases rise across the country, a majority of Americans say they support mask mandates for students and teachers at K-12 schools, a new poll shows, but their views are strongly divided along political lines.
About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks in school, according to a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Similar actions indicate that eligible teachers and students should also be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Masks have been a point of contention as US schools reopen amid the growing number of coronavirus cases. Questions about whether to demand them have sparked unrest among parents and politicians, with some Republican governors banning mask terms even as President Joe Biden threatens legal action against them.
In a reflection of this polarizing debate, the poll reveals a large partisan divide. About 3 in 10 Republicans said they favor mask requirements for students and teachers, compared to about 8 in 10 Democrats. There was a similar split on school vaccination mandates.
Some of the largest school districts in the country will need masks for all students and staff this fall, including in New York City. That’s good for Budhiono Riyanto, 37, of Queens, who will send his 7-year-old son Gabriel back to school next month.
“I understand personal choice, I understand personal freedom. But when it comes to public health, we should all take care of each other ”, Riyanto said. “The best protection to date is to mask and vaccinate. “
Others say masks shouldn’t be forced on children.
Kim Oldfield, who lives in rural Jessieville, Arkansas, said the masks were unpopular in her area. She opposes the idea of a warrant and says it should be up to families to decide. In her local school district, masks are optional this fall.
“America is supposed to be the land of the free” Oldfield, 70, said. “And when the government starts to come into your personal life and make you do things you don’t want to do, people don’t like it.”
Parents are slightly less likely to support mask demands than the general population, according to the survey. Fifty-two percent of parents of school-aged children said they supported a mandate for children, while 28% opposed it, with a similar split on mandates for teachers.
There were also differences by race: about two-thirds of black parents said they supported mask mandates for teachers and students, compared to about half of white and Hispanic parents.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal mask wear for teachers and students inside school buildings this fall, citing the rapid spread of the delta variant.
In some areas where school masks are compulsory, tensions have erupted in recent weeks. Protesters opposed to mask requirements filled out school board meetings from Maryland to California, in some cases disrupting meetings and forcing them to postpone.
Most states allow school districts to set their own mask policies, but some, like California, Illinois, and Louisiana, require masks for students and teachers statewide. At least eight Republican-led states have decided to ban universal school mask mandates, including Texas, Florida and Tennessee.
In Land O ‘Lakes, Florida, Gail Jackson worries about sending her 12-year-old grandson to a school where masks are optional. Her grandson, Zahkai, wears a mask, she said, but not some of her classmates.
“I don’t know how it will all turn out at the end” said Jackson, 74, who is Zahkai’s legal guardian. “My prayer is that somehow an angel will pass by and these children will be allowed to grow and mature without ending up in a ventilated hospital.”
Compared to mask warrants, requirements for school vaccines have been scarce. Some states and local districts have demanded vaccines for teachers, saying those who refuse must undergo regular virus testing. Some others have taken a tougher stance, including Washington state, which says teachers must be vaccinated or risk being made redundant.
Last week, the Unified District of Culver City, near Los Angeles, was reportedly the first in the United States to require vaccines for all eligible students this fall. But student vaccination warrants are still scarce, and vaccines are not yet approved for children under 12.
The poll shows that 59% of Americans support vaccination requirements for teachers and almost as many – 55% – say the same for students aged 12 and older, who are eligible to be vaccinated. Among parents, support was lower, with 42% supporting immunization mandates for students.
Vaccinated parents were more likely to support mask and vaccine requirements than unvaccinated parents.
Jeff Hicklin in Falmouth, Maine, said he supports mask and vaccine mandates for eligible teachers and students. He says it’s the best way to protect those who are too young to be vaccinated, including his 7-year-old son Oscar.
“We must do all we can to keep schools open and safe”, said Hicklin, 40, an accountant.
In Menomonie, Wisconsin, Erik Pederstuen has been vaccinated and plans to have his 9-year-old daughter vaccinated once she is eligible. But Pederstuen, a technical college instructor, said he didn’t think coronavirus vaccines should be a requirement.
“I’m not anti-vaccine at all, I just never liked the idea of being forced”, says Pederstuen, 40. “I think everyone should get it, but I think it should be your choice.”
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