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“The 360” shows you various perspectives on the main stories and debates of the day.
What is happening
Last week, new guidelines were released for schools planning another school year affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The top priority for schools, the agency said, is to bring students back to the classroom and end distance learning where possible.
The approval of in-person learning was celebrated by many parents, educators and scientists who have followed the challenges distance learning has placed on children and families across the country since March of last year. The CDC has described a variety of largely uncontroversial measures schools should take to prevent the spread of the virus, including vaccinations, physical distancing, testing and improving ventilation.
The element of the agency’s new guidelines that will certainly spark the most debate is its recommendation that masks be worn by all students, teachers and staff who have not been vaccinated. Since vaccines are only available for children 12 and older, the guidelines essentially require all elementary school students nationwide to wear masks until they are eligible to be vaccinated.
The CDC issued recommendations, not a mandate. Final decisions on school policies will be made at national and local levels. It’s already clear that large swathes of the country will not follow the agency’s mask guidelines. According to, about a third of American schools are in states that currently require masks in all schools. About half are in states that have left the choice to local lawmakers. In addition, a handful of them have expressly prohibited schools from requiring masks.
Why there is debate
Some opposition to the requirements for school masks echoes the intense resistance, at times, that has made masks a hot topic in the crop wars during the pandemic. But there are also more nuanced, evidence-based arguments against asking children to cover their faces in class.
In the eyes of many experts, it is unreasonable to force children to put up with the difficulties of wearing masks – which they say include stifled breathing and reduced social connection – when we have more than a year and a half of evidence. that children are at little risk of serious illness or death if they contract COVID-19. Although more than one died from the disease, only one of those deaths involved children under the age of 18. Some also claim that the high vaccination rates among children and mean that the risk of children transmitting the virus to vulnerable adults is significantly reduced.
for mask warrants in schools argue that although the danger to children and the likelihood of the virus spreading are reduced, those risks still exist. The masks, they add, are a minor drawback compared to the major disruption that could arise if an outbreak on campus forces schools to close again. There are also concerns that the highly contagious Delta variant could change the realities about the risks of COVID for children if it is allowed to run rampant in schools across the country.
And after
Virtually all of the major US school districts are planning to resume in-person teaching for the fall semester, which for most students begins next month. The for children under 12 could be approved as early as this fall.
Perspectives
Supporters
Masks are a small inconvenience that can help keep schools open
“Masks are easy to use, inexpensive and effective, and when used in combination with other measures such as distancing and testing, they allow children to go to school and camps safely. safety until vaccination is available to them. “—Jeanette Beaudry,
In the absence of vaccine mandates, masks are necessary
“It is out of time for the Biden administration to support the voluntary vaccine accreditation efforts that will make such determination possible for the administrators. In the meantime, I would like the CDC to say that if proof of vaccination is not required, everyone should continue to wear masks indoors. “- Leana S. Wen,
Mask rules should depend on the local situation
“Even if a community sees a low number of Covid-19 cases, there is another number it should look at to feel clear: vaccination rates. Because if a community or school is not sufficiently vaccinated, it risks the coronavirus coming back – it only takes one infected person interacting with others to potentially start an epidemic. “- German Lopez,
It is worth doing whatever is necessary to prevent even a small number of child deaths
“Fortunately, children are at less risk of complications from COVID-19, but a low risk is not a risk. Pediatric COVID-19 still matters. Nearly 4 million children have tested positive, thousands have been hospitalized and hundreds have died, all during a period when multi-layered mitigation processes were in place. … Children are not meant to die. – Kelly Fradin and Dr Hina Talib,
Schools cannot be asked to apply different rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated children
“Teachers will have the difficult task of trying to catch up with their students on the learning they have lost during a year and a half of distance learning. The last thing they need is to become mask instructors, monitoring which students need their masks and which don’t. It’s more effective, and easier to enforce, when everyone has to wear a mask. »- Editorial,
Delta variant means children may be more likely to pass the virus on to others
“If a young child contracts Covid-19, it means there is an increased risk for their parents, especially if they are not vaccinated. The ripple effects could be multiple. – Ayelet Haimson Louchkov,
Adversaries
COVID-19 has never posed a significant threat to children
“Guidelines that impose unintentional masking of children are based on an assessment of risk that is not supported by any rational calculation. It’s paranoia, and public health officials cultivate it. “- Noé Rothman,
Vaccines have changed the risks associated with community transmission
“While more cases are likely and a number of hospitalizations and deaths as well, vaccines have eliminated the overwhelming share of the risk of death in the United States, with the disease now circulating almost exclusively among people who can endure it much, much better – children in particular. “- David Wallace-Wells,
Masking decisions should be left to individual families
“Children’s masks can be recommended, but not forced. If your young child is immunocompromised or has a chronic condition that puts them at increased risk for a COVID-related complication, or simply wants to wear a mask, then they should. Public health decisions must be flexible and consistent with the latest scientific advances. “- Dr Marc Siegel,
Masks do more harm than good for children
“Masks can make it harder to breathe, especially during exercise, and can discourage physical activity at a time when obesity rates in children are rising. … Masking interferes with socialization as well as communication and speech development by blocking visualization of mouth movements, obscuring facial expressions and muffling voices. Masking also increases the anxiety of children with autism and other sensory processing issues. … Why would we do this needlessly on our children? “- Margery Smelkinson,
The fight for masks in schools is about politics, not science
“We are now 16 months into a pandemic and children remain victims of the political theater of Covid which has characterized the national debate on masks since.” – Ashley E. McGuire,
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Photographic illustration: Yahoo News; photos: John Moore / Getty Images
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