WOOHOO SB 739 has passed the house- it is on its way to the Governor-

[Anonymous]

Worst case, it’s just over two weeks until we find out which kids have completely antisocial, self-absorbed parents, and therefore are best avoided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

Those parents are going to be that kick more frustrated and overworked if their kids are home for a week because they caught covid at school. My support of masks isn’t based on the “masks forever” nonsense that MAGA like to fantasize about, it’s based in the fact that I really do not want any more wrenches thrown into the works. If other people want their kids to maskless guinea pigs, I can’t stop them. But I will have zero sympathy if their kids end up excluded from school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of us following the science, the Legislature and the Governor have little to do with this. Instead, we are approaching a time when masks are not as necessary.

Approaching? Sure. But we're not there yet.

[Anonymous]

I remember how a year ago starting kids in hybrid was going to be terrible… and nothing happened. Then there were going to be dead teachers and kids because we were going back 5 days/week in the fall with the delta variant… and nothing happened. After New Years we were all once again going to die because of omicron… and nothing happened. I’m expecting the same when the masks come off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

Those parents are going to be that kick more frustrated and overworked if their kids are home for a week because they caught covid at school. My support of masks isn’t based on the “masks forever” nonsense that MAGA like to fantasize about, it’s based in the fact that I really do not want any more wrenches thrown into the works. If other people want their kids to maskless guinea pigs, I can’t stop them. But I will have zero sympathy if their kids end up excluded from school.

I don't really understand your spite. Your post just reinforces that both sides are so dramatic, often resorting to statements like "I have zero sympathy for..."

The post isn't about masking individual "guinea pigs" but about the mandates (and idiotic anti-mask mandates) and benchmarks. I give up though, I think it's just impossible to talk about nuance here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of us following the science, the Legislature and the Governor have little to do with this. Instead, we are approaching a time when masks are not as necessary.

Approaching? Sure. But we're not there yet.

Do you decide when?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

Have you taken a good look at the Covid stats for under 5s? It’s a nonissue. Yes, I have a kid under 5 and yes, all of us over 5 are vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

Spain masked kids 6+. They did a study of in school Covid transmission from 3-17. The youngest kids spread the absolute least. 6 year olds (first year masked) did not spread less than 5 year olds (unmasked). Teenagers spread the most of all kids, but still less than adults. This suggests something else besides masks keeps in school spread low. CDC’s own study showed improving ventilation was slightly better at reducing school Covid spread than mandating masks.

And my kids had every cold this year. In one class my child reported her teacher had to tell kids to stop pulling their masks down and coughing in other kids’ faces (my kid claimed to never do this). Thankfully that cold wasn’t Covid, but it was a rough one. The fact that kids will choose whether or not to comply with a mandate just like that was when I lost my last shred of belief in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

So you can keep your kids in a mask if you want. We are fine with that. Please keep in mind that not a single person under the age of 40 has died of Covid in Arlington during the entirety of the pandemic. This virus simply does not justify the extreme measures taken but you should feel free to mask you kids. Just don't ask us to. Our cost-benefit analysis came out differently than yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

Those parents are going to be that kick more frustrated and overworked if their kids are home for a week because they caught covid at school. My support of masks isn’t based on the “masks forever” nonsense that MAGA like to fantasize about, it’s based in the fact that I really do not want any more wrenches thrown into the works. If other people want their kids to maskless guinea pigs, I can’t stop them. But I will have zero sympathy if their kids end up excluded from school.

I don't really understand your spite. Your post just reinforces that both sides are so dramatic, often resorting to statements like "I have zero sympathy for..."

The post isn't about masking individual "guinea pigs" but about the mandates (and idiotic anti-mask mandates) and benchmarks. I give up though, I think it's just impossible to talk about nuance here.

It’s not spite, it’s exhaustion. I no longer have the energy to spare caring about people who choose an irresponsible path. If they want covid so badly, fine, let them get covid. It is no longer my concern, but I am not going to waste one moment of emotional energy feeling sorry for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

So you can keep your kids in a mask if you want. We are fine with that. Please keep in mind that not a single person under the age of 40 has died of Covid in Arlington during the entirety of the pandemic. This virus simply does not justify the extreme measures taken but you should feel free to mask you kids. Just don't ask us to. Our cost-benefit analysis came out differently than yours.

All I hear from you is you got your vaccine so who cares about the under 5 kids with chronic health conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ha- I'm the OP of this thread. I'm no operative if any sort. Just a frustrated FCC mom- who social distanced, masked and vaxxed with the best of them. I closely closely follow science, and numbers etc and have the ability to change my mind. What I've seen over the last 7 months has convinced me that 'science' has very little to do with this- this is about proving our liberalism. When FCCPS refused to follow the CDC, and insisted on quarantining elementary school children for 14 days with no possibility of testing out- keeping needy children out of school- I lost faith in them. FCC has an incredibly high vaccination rate. The community obsessively masks. We have had 4 people total hospitalized for COVID in the last 90 days. Our case count has been astronomical for a long time. So where do I come down- let it go. The risk to a vaccinated person is so so minor. Why are we doing this to our kids? For the first 1.5 years of the pandemic I was willing to employ any mitigation measure that might make a difference. At this point, given the vaccines, any mitigation measure should be run through a solid cost benefit analysis. There is very little evidence that a universal mask mandate makes ANY difference for case transmission- and case transmission shouldn't really be our benchmark in any event. I'm done. My kids need normalcy and they need it now.

+1000.

Same. I'm in Arlington and am just baffled at how we're treating kids right now. Both sides often sound completely bonkers and self-righteous, so it feels impossible to move forward.

We are going to suffer a Republican congress and Trump 2.0 if we keep ignoring all of the frustrated, alienated, and overworked parents.

OP I'm with you on a lot of what you say but you completely loose me (and a lot of other people) when you forget the vaccine is NOT yet available for kids under 5. Many kids and teachers in schools have siblings and children under 5. Pre-K classes in Arlington are comprised of 4 year olds. Also, I really don't know what people are looking at that leads them to believe masks don't work. Maybe you're wearing loose bandanas or something cute off of Etsy, but there are a lot of solid mask choices that do prevent transmission. Masks are a big part (maybe the main reason) omicron has NOT spread like wild fire in early ES classrooms where kids sit inches from eachother, face to face, sharing materials all day. I mean, my kids haven't had a single cold ALL YEAR, which has NEVER happened before. Masks are stopping the spread of disease here.

PP I agree people are frustrated, alienated (especially families with children under 5 who have chronic health issues), and overworked, and while that may explain why some vote for a candidate who tells them what they want to hear even if that isn't based in reality, it is a pathetic excuse. Reality is tough right now. It has been for the past 2 years. There are a lot of groups in this country who faced ugly realities even before COVID.

Spain masked kids 6+. They did a study of in school Covid transmission from 3-17. The youngest kids spread the absolute least. 6 year olds (first year masked) did not spread less than 5 year olds (unmasked). Teenagers spread the most of all kids, but still less than adults. This suggests something else besides masks keeps in school spread low. CDC’s own study showed improving ventilation was slightly better at reducing school Covid spread than mandating masks.

And my kids had every cold this year. In one class my child reported her teacher had to tell kids to stop pulling their masks down and coughing in other kids’ faces (my kid claimed to never do this). Thankfully that cold wasn’t Covid, but it was a rough one. The fact that kids will choose whether or not to comply with a mandate just like that was when I lost my last shred of belief in it.

I keep hearing parents complain the bars and restaurnts don't require masks so why should their kids mask in school, so it if adults are NOT following mitigation practices I would expect adults to spread COVID more.

That's so weird your kids have had every cold this year. How old are your kids? My early ES kids haven't had a single cold all year. Are your kids wearing good masks or just something cute you found on Etsy?