When should DC drop its school mask mandate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers do want everyone to keep masking. 50% of us teachers have gotten sick, a significant percentage of that have long-COVID with long-term complications including heart and lung issues. Parents aren't allowed in schools right now (at least not many or for long periods) so I'm not sure what the huge concern is that they think is happening? Kids have been amazing at wearing masks, we do it all day, and its really not a problem to do so. I guarantee you that we will lose many, many older, high-risk and veteran teachers if a mask mandate is dropped this year. So take your pick - do you want qualified, veteran teachers providing high-quality instruction to masked kids or do you want maskless kids learning from substitutes - who at this point can be high school graduates, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, volunteers, etc. Which is it?

Can you post a link to the data that shows that 50% of DCPS teachers had Covid? And how do you know that "a significant percentage" have long-term complications? Is this just your anecdotal impression, or is there some actual evidence for this claim?

And what does the mask mandate for kids have to do with parents not being allowed in schools? The parents aren't worried about themselves wearing masks if they were to enter a school.

[Anonymous]

I would be fine with going masks option if we met certain established threshholds, with the understanding that masking would be required again if we went above those threshholds. (Perhaps it could be linked to the % of positive tests in a single school and/or the city with either percentage able to trigger a return to masking.)

That said, if teachers are very opposed, then I am fine remaining in masks for the rest of the year. If it's scientifically invalid and a comfort blanket for teachers, so be it. This year has sucked for teachers and they are clearly leaving their jobs (everywhere, not just DC; I have no idea if there are DC-specific numbers available) in higher numbers than usual at the moment. I don't want to add to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be fine with going masks option if we met certain established threshholds, with the understanding that masking would be required again if we went above those threshholds. (Perhaps it could be linked to the % of positive tests in a single school and/or the city with either percentage able to trigger a return to masking.)

That said, if teachers are very opposed, then I am fine remaining in masks for the rest of the year. If it's scientifically invalid and a comfort blanket for teachers, so be it. This year has sucked for teachers and they are clearly leaving their jobs (everywhere, not just DC; I have no idea if there are DC-specific numbers available) in higher numbers than usual at the moment. I don't want to add to that.

I do wonder though if for every teacher who leaves because they are afraid of Covid, there is one who is leaving because they are sick of working in a mask all day. I do know several who would like to quit masking, but I have no idea if they are in the minority.

[Anonymous]

I hope they keep it through at least the end of this school year

[Anonymous]

This is a very small minority of DCPS teachers.

[Anonymous]

I’d wear a mask at the store for the rest of my life if it makes people feel safe, but I really, really want my kids to go mask free at school as soon as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers do want everyone to keep masking. 50% of us teachers have gotten sick, a significant percentage of that have long-COVID with long-term complications including heart and lung issues. Parents aren't allowed in schools right now (at least not many or for long periods) so I'm not sure what the huge concern is that they think is happening? Kids have been amazing at wearing masks, we do it all day, and its really not a problem to do so. I guarantee you that we will lose many, many older, high-risk and veteran teachers if a mask mandate is dropped this year. So take your pick - do you want qualified, veteran teachers providing high-quality instruction to masked kids or do you want maskless kids learning from substitutes - who at this point can be high school graduates, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, volunteers, etc. Which is it?

Please stop saying this. Speak for yourself. Myself and many of my colleagues do not want mask mandates to continue. Some of my colleagues do want it to continue and some don’t care either way. 50% have had Covid and a ‘significant percent’ have long Covid? How are you gathering this data? There is no central place with all reported teacher Covid cases. And define significant percent. Significant means something very specific when speaking about statistics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers do want everyone to keep masking. 50% of us teachers have gotten sick, a significant percentage of that have long-COVID with long-term complications including heart and lung issues. Parents aren't allowed in schools right now (at least not many or for long periods) so I'm not sure what the huge concern is that they think is happening? Kids have been amazing at wearing masks, we do it all day, and its really not a problem to do so. I guarantee you that we will lose many, many older, high-risk and veteran teachers if a mask mandate is dropped this year. So take your pick - do you want qualified, veteran teachers providing high-quality instruction to masked kids or do you want maskless kids learning from substitutes - who at this point can be high school graduates, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, volunteers, etc. Which is it?

Please stop saying this. Speak for yourself. Myself and many of my colleagues do not want mask mandates to continue. Some of my colleagues do want it to continue and some don’t care either way. 50% have had Covid and a ‘significant percent’ have long Covid? How are you gathering this data? There is no central place with all reported teacher Covid cases. And define significant percent. Significant means something very specific when speaking about statistics.

It involves bending over and spreading the cheeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers do want everyone to keep masking. 50% of us teachers have gotten sick, a significant percentage of that have long-COVID with long-term complications including heart and lung issues. Parents aren't allowed in schools right now (at least not many or for long periods) so I'm not sure what the huge concern is that they think is happening? Kids have been amazing at wearing masks, we do it all day, and its really not a problem to do so. I guarantee you that we will lose many, many older, high-risk and veteran teachers if a mask mandate is dropped this year. So take your pick - do you want qualified, veteran teachers providing high-quality instruction to masked kids or do you want maskless kids learning from substitutes - who at this point can be high school graduates, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, volunteers, etc. Which is it?

Please stop saying this. Speak for yourself. Myself and many of my colleagues do not want mask mandates to continue. Some of my colleagues do want it to continue and some don’t care either way. 50% have had Covid and a ‘significant percent’ have long Covid? How are you gathering this data? There is no central place with all reported teacher Covid cases. And define significant percent. Significant means something very specific when speaking about statistics.

She has made these claims here before and has not responded when asked for evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a very small minority of DCPS teachers.

god. Laura Fuchs can eat my $hi+ and hair

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d wear a mask at the store for the rest of my life if it makes people feel safe, but I really, really want my kids to go mask free at school as soon as possible.

X 1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a very small minority of DCPS teachers.

god. Laura Fuchs can eat my $hi+ and hair

Eating your hair is a nice touch. Kudos.

[Anonymous]

Last night I read the materials from the Urgency of Normal website and it really rang true to me. There was a time that strict protective measures were appropriate but that is not where we are today.

Now we have increasing evidence of the harm done to children from the “we have to do everything to avoid the spread of covid at all costs” approach to life. Beyond the issues with kids mental and emotional health and life long impacts of the lesser education students are receiving, there is the increasing concern that kids immune systems are not developing as intended and when a worse variant comes, they will be even more susceptible to it.

My family has been pretty locked down for the past 2 years but I can see the toll it is taking on my kids. We are trying to normalize things as much as possible outside of school but the truth is that school takes up a good portion of their waking hours. To me, right now is the right time to stop mandatory masking in schools. Give everyone a chance to normalize and reset before the possible need to ramp up protections in the future.

[Anonymous]

I think it's safe to say that masks will stay at least through the end of this year, and quite possible into the next school year.

I guess everyone's invested in this topic already saw the news about the leaked audio with CDC director confirming they are 'recommending' for school masks to stay: https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-audio-reveals-cdc-director-saying-she-wont-halt-school-mask-guidance, in addition to some other statements reminding that CDC is just the politics puppets: “I will also say that guidance is just guidance, and all of these decisions, we’ve continued to say, have to be made at the local level." “As cases come down dramatically, we have deferred our guidance to the local jurisdictions.” DC WTA will be celebrating this, I bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's safe to say that masks will stay at least through the end of this year, and quite possible into the next school year.

I guess everyone's invested in this topic already saw the news about the leaked audio with CDC director confirming they are 'recommending' for school masks to stay: https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-audio-reveals-cdc-director-saying-she-wont-halt-school-mask-guidance, in addition to some other statements reminding that CDC is just the politics puppets: “I will also say that guidance is just guidance, and all of these decisions, we’ve continued to say, have to be made at the local level." “As cases come down dramatically, we have deferred our guidance to the local jurisdictions.” DC WTA will be celebrating this, I bet.

Given the political nature of the CDC these days, I am hoping that this position will become politically untenable in the next couple of months. Remember midterms are approaching. I hope the changing public sentiment on this issue will force their hand to update their unscientific guidance.