See my post earlier in the school forum about Cooks hospital going back to school and the Canadian pediatrics hospital about their recommendation. Both suggest no mask for young elementary and give reasons why

I have a 3rd grader (8yrs old) and Kindergartner (5 yrs old) this year and was completely against them having to wear masks up until a few weeks ago. While I absolutely hate wearing masks....they LOVE them and that helps a lot when they actually ask to wear them and are disappointed when I tell them they don't have to.

Also, my kids attend a private Lutheran school and the administration explained to the parents recently why they have chosen to make the K-8 grade wear masks when social distancing isn't an option. It has to do with keeping the kids on campus and learning in school. This was their response to a parent question on masks:


"The Strategic Plan implies that as long as my student is wearing a mask and not exhibiting symptoms,
he won't be sent home even if he sat next to or interacted with someone with a lab-confirmed
Covid-19 case. Is this correct?
This is a great question! In order for us to keep students on campus in the event of a confirmed positive
case, all parties within that 6 foot range (as indicated by TEA, CDC, and the local Health Department)
have to be wearing a mask. This was the driving force behind our mask policy stating that any time
students cannot maintain the guidelines for social distancing indoors, they will be required to wear a
mask. So, if your child sits next to a student who is confirmed positive and 1) their desks were socially
distanced or 2) they both wore masks when they were working in close proximity to one another, your
child would not have to transition to eLearning unless they developed symptoms or received a positive"

So basically they can keep the kids from having to have a 10+ day period of at home virtual learning as long as masks are worn. I want my kids in school and they want to be in school so I have softened my stance on the masks and am not going to complain as long as it keeps them in school.

However, I will also add that our church/school has had summer camp every week day this summer and the kids do not wear mask. There has not been one case of the corona virus in this camp. The kids are kept in small groups of 10-15, but their group is minimally social distanced during the day. The kids take field trips on a small bus, they play games together, ect. and not one kid has got sick. No masks worn.

Just the same then...the parents should get to pick their child's teacher...

Agree, bring back swats

Just got an email today from American Airlines, saying that anyone, including children over the age of 2 is required to wear masks "from the time you enter your departure airport and not remove it until you exit your arrival airport."

Good luck with that.

tysker said:

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Masks for children under 10 in an educational setting is not just difficult but developmentally inappropriate. Children learn from watching faces and understanding facial cues. Those signals are inherent in what it means to be human. If you frown at a baby, it will start to cry. Masks undermine the instinctual empathy and fairness in children. And that doesn't even touch the surface as to why masks are a problem for learning phonics, learning to read and teaching children to communicate.

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This.

possibility?

try reality

I'm going to stick this here as a related question.

Our district (might be the same one) is also requiring masks of all kids.

The principals just returned to work and the ISD posted a pic of all of them wearing masks on the steps of the admin building. Yay them! But as people quickly pointed out, they weren't 6 feet apart. The ISD response (aligns with what I have always understood) is that masks were worn so they could be less than 6 feet apart (disregarding that it was outside, all facing the camera, and very brief).

The response to that answer from multiple people is it is wearing a mask AND 6 feet distance, not OR.

I'm confused now as to their plan for classrooms, because the ISD response to concerned parents of young children has been that the kids will have opportunities to take masks off in the classroom if they are able to maintain social distance.

Carnwellag2 said:

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88planoAg said:

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I'm going to stick this here as a related question.

Our district (might be the same one) is also requiring masks of all kids.

The principals just returned to work and the ISD posted a pic of all of them wearing masks on the steps of the admin building. Yay them! But as people quickly pointed out, they weren't 6 feet apart. The ISD response (aligns with what I have always understood) is that masks were worn so they could be less than 6 feet apart (disregarding that it was outside, all facing the camera, and very brief).

The response to that answer from multiple people is it is wearing a mask AND 6 feet distance, not OR.

I'm confused now as to their plan for classrooms, because the ISD response to concerned parents of young children has been that the kids will have opportunities to take masks off in the classroom if they are able to maintain social distance.

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It really is simple folks. Admins want in person classes.

Ideal scenario / you have masks and 6 feet.

That would require about 1/2 the class size- Who is willing to double taxes to accommodate??????

Not many- so admins are coming up with strategies that allow for in person learning given class size and you people are mad???

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Uh. Who is you people? I guess you mean the OP? I'm seeking info and an answer to all the people criticizing the photo because I didn't think the AND was what we have been told.

Aggie95 said:

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honestly, I think it will be difficult, but I also think the teacher should have a lot of say. Similar to a business being allowed to make their own rules, a teacher should have domain over their classroom.

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Hah. The teacher should do as their boss says as long as it is legal and ethical, just like everyone else. You don't like it, quit, just like everyone else.

yeah I'm going to get my 5 yo to wear a mask for 8 hours a day from a standing start

why can't we do something culturally developed over decades in Asia?

PJYoung said:

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Asian countries have been doing this for a long time.

Somehow we can't?

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Asia encompasses about 4.5 billion people so that's a pretty broad and stereotypical claim. Do you have any proof that masks were common in "Asian" schools before covid? Maybe during flu season or during periods of high air pollution.

Do all Asians typically wear masks, even when healthy? I assumed pre-pandemic that only those who were sick wore them.

MiMi said:

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Just got an email today from American Airlines, saying that anyone, including children over the age of 2 is required to wear masks "from the time you enter your departure airport and not remove it until you exit your arrival airport."

Good luck with that.

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Not exactly relevant to this thread, but know that major airlines are starting to ban people from flying if they refuse to wear masks.

https://millionmilesecrets.com/news/airlines-banning-flyers-without-mask/

Vernada said:

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MiMi said:

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Just got an email today from American Airlines, saying that anyone, including children over the age of 2 is required to wear masks "from the time you enter your departure airport and not remove it until you exit your arrival airport."

Good luck with that.

---

Not exactly relevant to this thread, but know that major airlines are starting to ban people from flying if they refuse to wear masks.

https://millionmilesecrets.com/news/airlines-banning-flyers-without-mask/

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I flew Delta on Monday with the wife and both girls and we never wore a mask. Maybewe are blacklisted now? We are flying back on Southwest, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next time I fly on Delta to find out if I'm actually banned.

Delta's CEO made the comment yesterday.

Quote:

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I flew Delta on Monday with the wife and both girls and we never wore a mask. Maybewe are blacklisted now? We are flying back on Southwest, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next time I fly on Delta to find out if I'm actually banned.

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May find out sooner than you think...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2020/07/22/southwest-announces-it-will-no-longer-allow-customers-without-masks-fly/



Southwest Airlines said that beginning July 27, all travelers must wear face coverings to fly. The only exception will be for children under 2.

"If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual," the airline said in a statement. "In those cases, we hope the Customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes."

congrats?

Im Gipper said:

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Quote:

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I flew Delta on Monday with the wife and both girls and we never wore a mask. Maybewe are blacklisted now? We are flying back on Southwest, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next time I fly on Delta to find out if I'm actually banned.

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May find out sooner than you think...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2020/07/22/southwest-announces-it-will-no-longer-allow-customers-without-masks-fly/



Southwest Airlines said that beginning July 27, all travelers must wear face coverings to fly. The only exception will be for children under 2.

"If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual," the airline said in a statement. "In those cases, we hope the Customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes."

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I guess I'll find out next Thursday.

Vernada said:

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Delta's CEO made the comment yesterday.

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My sister in law is a senior flight attendant and trainer at American Airlines. She said the policy is mandated wildly depending on captain and crew. Basically if the captain doesn't want to enforce it then it doesn't happen. It's his bird.

All of the pediatric hospitals have recommend for elementary kids to not wear mask.

Why? For this age group: Expectations of low compliance; Language development is important; and The contribution of to the transmission of COVID-19 has not been well-established.