Reply to Peer Masking as a Reasonable Accommodation

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I would never want tell my kid that them not wearing a mask perfectly every day for a whole school year could result in their classmate becoming seriously ill or worse.  Kids don't need that kind of emotional burden. And if the kid did get sick, I wouldn't want someone in the class to think it was their fault because they took their mask down that one time or lost it for 15 minutes.  [/quote]

You don’t need to do that. Just explain they’re wearing a mask to provide extra protection and a classmate. It doesn’t need to be that dramatic and I promise kids will accept and understand. Have your kids really never had to do anything to accommodate another person in their life?[/quote]

Not to this degree, no. I can’t even think of anything comparable that has ever been asked of a kid in school (not being snarky, honestly can’t think of an example). And you must have the kind that just accepts whatever answer you give them without follow up questions. I don’t. Me saying that the class has to wear a mask to protect a kid (when presumably other classes aren’t) would result in “but why? What will happen?” Etc. [/quote]

the comparable example would be requiring girls to wear shirts that cover their arms, because one boy needs a religious accommodation because his religion believes short sleeves on girls are evil. [/quote]

Except that religious beliefs aren’t covered by the ADA.  🙄[/quote]

And no one knows if force masking every child in class is either. First, you have to ask. Then, it's going to be challenged in court.

We know the science is incredibly weak and so I think the religious belief analogy is excellent.  Chap Petersen compared it to forced speech too, since many people wear a mask to demonstrate their politics are to the left of AOC.[/quote]

Agreed. Forced peer masking seems more like a belief at this point than an actually effective intervention. The reasonable approach is 1-way masking of the vulnerable child, plus other accommodations like a separate lunch space. [/quote]

So masks are on the one hand so ineffective that no one else should wear them but so effective that 1-way masking is going to fully protect a child with cancer? Got it. [/quote]

NP here, nothing is going to “fully protect” a child with cancer in a congregate school setting. Because kids are not going to be hermits outside of school and invariably will come to school contagious with viruses, which are often highly contagious before symptoms start. One way masking with a well fitted mask protects the wearer. More so than relying on the hygiene and 100% mask adherence of 6 year olds. But still, 1 way masking will not be 100% effective.

My kids brought home RSV and COVID last year while in 100% mandated masked classrooms. [/quote]

So you're saying that 6 year old can't achieve 100% mask adherence but the 6 year old with cancer has to somehow do this? [/quote]

I think the point is that if the sick 6 year old is relying on masking either way not to die, then it’s probably too big a risk for that child to be in that environment. [/quote]

It's too big of a risk with one way masking. You can get the risk into a reasonable range with 2 way masking. [/quote]

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