Anonymous wrote: OP, your vulnerable child should wear a N95 and sit at a socially distant desk, and not be bullied for it-but you don't get to impose that on other people's kids.

Yep. I’m sure our county will require masks but if they didn’t I’d tell you to pound sand. You are not going to get voluntary buy in.

I’m really sorry, OP. This isn’t going to work in any school. You will never have an entire class wear masks when they are not needed because of another child.

I’m a teacher and can tell you that would not be comforted at all if you saw inside the room and how the kids were wearing them. Gaps and sagging masks on many. You can help keep your own child safe by sending in masks and whatever else you want. You can’t control what others around him do.

This is a losing battle. Enroll in an online school like K12.

My kids (7 and 6) have been in school and camps since March, and I’ve spent a lot of time watching them play outside and in class, and I’ve had frank conversations with one of my kid’s teachers about masks. The honest truth is that young kids your child’s age do not mask appropriately. The masks are a farce, which the teacher admitted she agreed with. Half the class had their mask falling under their noses, the other half is wiping snot then pulling the mask back up with their snotty hands, kids are playing every chance they can within inches of each other, not to mention that no one’s mask fits securely like a properly fitted n95. My best proof of this beyond seeing it all with my own eyes is that my kids have taken how countless viruses since March despite “strict” protocols at school and camp. Oh, and masks are all off to eat. Tl;dr if you’re kid is that vulnerable and/or you’re that worried, your only real solution is to keep your child out of in-person school until he/she can be vaccinated

Anonymous wrote:COVID scares me because it is unpredictable. There seem to be some people who are more vulnerable then others but a decent percentage of people who have become serious ill or died are not in the groups that are deemed at risk. For many people COVID was nothing, they were asymptomatic. For other people it was “like the flu”. And for others, have never had an issue recovering from the flu, it was pure hell even when not hospitalized. Toss in the long term COVID cases and the comparisons to the flu are not helpful.

I can fully understand a parent of a kid who is medically vulnerable being worried about COVID. The patterns of illness are murky at best, the treatments are not really understood yet, and the lingering effects are real. So I don’t think comparing what a parent does during the flu season for kids who are vulnerable is fair. I know some who pull their kid from school, I know some who prepare for a long bout of the flu. But you can prepare for the flu and have an idea of how to treat and handle the flu. COVID is different. And while I might be comfortable that my healthy kid is statistically unlikely to have much to worry about, the parent of a kid who is vulnerable has a whole host of reasons to not be comfortable.

And I do worry that my medically healthy kid will be the kid who is the exception to the rule because I have seen enough exceptions to the rule with COVID to think that the rules are less rules and more vague guidelines.

This post sounds like it is based on anxiety and not data. I really don't blame you for being anxious though. Covid has been very scary.

However, if you want to convince people, you have to show us with data that your child is statistically at risk if other children don't mask and that risk is different from the risks of other respiratory illnesses. Please note that lots of viruses causes long term damage, including a serious bout of the flu, which can also place kids on respirators.

COVID scares me because it is unpredictable. There seem to be some people who are more vulnerable then others but a decent percentage of people who have become serious ill or died are not in the groups that are deemed at risk. For many people COVID was nothing, they were asymptomatic. For other people it was “like the flu”. And for others, have never had an issue recovering from the flu, it was pure hell even when not hospitalized. Toss in the long term COVID cases and the comparisons to the flu are not helpful.

I can fully understand a parent of a kid who is medically vulnerable being worried about COVID. The patterns of illness are murky at best, the treatments are not really understood yet, and the lingering effects are real. So I don’t think comparing what a parent does during the flu season for kids who are vulnerable is fair. I know some who pull their kid from school, I know some who prepare for a long bout of the flu. But you can prepare for the flu and have an idea of how to treat and handle the flu. COVID is different. And while I might be comfortable that my healthy kid is statistically unlikely to have much to worry about, the parent of a kid who is vulnerable has a whole host of reasons to not be comfortable.

And I do worry that my medically healthy kid will be the kid who is the exception to the rule because I have seen enough exceptions to the rule with COVID to think that the rules are less rules and more vague guidelines.

OP, your vulnerable child should wear a N95 and sit at a socially distant desk, and not be bullied for it-but you don't get to impose that on other people's kids.

What danger is this placing on what vulnerable children? The flu is more dangerous to children and no masks were required. My son has a hearing loss and masks have really been awful for him. Just as hard as you are pushing for masks, I will be pushing for no masks.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It must be stressful. My kids were so happy to be back in school this spring, they didn't mind the masks one bit. I believe they'd be happy to continue if it could help a friend be safe.

That said, the way many kids wear masks, slipping of their faces and then removing them for snacks and lunch in the classroom, I'm not sure how much good they do. I'd guess probably better than nothing, especially with good ventilation and fresh air from open windows, but unfortunately schools are not a perfect mask use scenario.

Anonymous wrote:I'm truly sorry op. I cannot imagine dealing with this or how scared you may be. That said, my kids will only wear masks at school if required.


Maybe you can ask the ped to vaccinate him anyway, even if he is not 12?

If that is not possible, get him an N95 mask and maybe a face shield as well?

+1

I'm truly sorry op. I cannot imagine dealing with this or how scared you may be. That said, my kids will only wear masks at school if required.


Maybe you can ask the ped to vaccinate him anyway, even if he is not 12?

If that is not possible, get him an N95 mask and maybe a face shield as well?

I mean this as a genuine question:

If your kid is that vulnerable, what did your doctor have you do during respiratory virus season prior to 2020?

Anonymous wrote:My medically vulnerable 7 year old child who was privileged to be shielded for nearly a year will be back at school this fall. Many of us are in that boat. I tried searching through posts to find if this had already been posted. Have other parents living in places where the local government has made mask requirements in schools unlawful figured out ways to advocate or ‘encourage’ masks in any way in their children’s schools if you are in a district where without the law the schools would almost for sure follow CDC rules and require masking? Writing to administrators? Reaching out to parents? Just curious if there’s any grass roots ways to help encourage masks within a neighborhood elementary. Perhaps that’s better than trying to go district wide (though this is of course about the ENTIRE community not just our neighborhood school). My son has underlying health conditions and did remote all last year but that’s not an option this year and I’m considering reaching out to his teacher and maybe trying to email parents to talk about masks, wouldn’t help us make friends but perhaps appeal to parents who need to understand the particular danger this is placing on vulnerable children. It feels like we are walking a tightrope at the moment. I don’t know how I can channel my nervous energy to do everything I can to try to improve the public health guidance in a state that has wiped its hands of Covid safety tools.

Good luck but I suspect that you will not find too many who agree to wear masks if masks are not required. DS wears a mask because it is required but really does not appreciate wearing a mask. They fog us his glasses, no matter what we have tried. He ate Sunbutter and Jelly sandwiches this year, because lunch was in the classroom and there is a nut allergy in his class so no peanut butter. He was hopeful that lunch next year was back in the cafeteria so that he could bring PBJ again. He understands why he couldn't have PB but he was not exactly thrilled. I want to believe that he would understand why he needed to wear a mask but he wouldn't be thrilled.

Toss in the fact that other classes will be mask free in the school and on the playground. I am not sure how effective masks in one classroom will be if the kids coming and going from the cafeteria, library, gym and other spaces are not wearing a mask.

Did your Doctor tell you that he shouldn't be in school without masks until there was a vaccine? If that is the case, then your child should be eligible for virtual school this year.

Not to be awful, but I would not count on people vaccinating their kids when the vaccine is available. There is a lot of conversation about the risks for younger kids catching COVID vs the likelihood of the kid having a known reaction to the vaccine. There are some stats out there that there is a higher chance of a child being affected by the vaccine negatively then a child getting COVID. If those numbers really are accurate, then I can see lots of parents choosing not to vaccinate their younger kids.

Anonymous wrote:My medically vulnerable 7 year old child who was privileged to be shielded for nearly a year will be back at school this fall. Many of us are in that boat. I tried searching through posts to find if this had already been posted. Have other parents living in places where the local government has made mask requirements in schools unlawful figured out ways to advocate or ‘encourage’ masks in any way in their children’s schools if you are in a district where without the law the schools would almost for sure follow CDC rules and require masking? Writing to administrators? Reaching out to parents? Just curious if there’s any grass roots ways to help encourage masks within a neighborhood elementary. Perhaps that’s better than trying to go district wide (though this is of course about the ENTIRE community not just our neighborhood school). My son has underlying health conditions and did remote all last year but that’s not an option this year and I’m considering reaching out to his teacher and maybe trying to email parents to talk about masks, wouldn’t help us make friends but perhaps appeal to parents who need to understand the particular danger this is placing on vulnerable children. It feels like we are walking a tightrope at the moment. I don’t know how I can channel my nervous energy to do everything I can to try to improve the public health guidance in a state that has wiped its hands of Covid safety tools.

I think you’d be better off putting him in a private school that requires masks, or homeschooling.

Most kids aren’t going to wear masks at school if it isn’t mandated.

Covid protocols are decided at the district level (not each individual school)- and they have to follow state law.

In states like this, one thing that could be done is make “masked” (by choice) and “mask free” classrooms but honestly...schools already have so much to do. I doubt they will do this.

My medically vulnerable 7 year old child who was privileged to be shielded for nearly a year will be back at school this fall. Many of us are in that boat. I tried searching through posts to find if this had already been posted. Have other parents living in places where the local government has made mask requirements in schools unlawful figured out ways to advocate or ‘encourage’ masks in any way in their children’s schools if you are in a district where without the law the schools would almost for sure follow CDC rules and require masking? Writing to administrators? Reaching out to parents? Just curious if there’s any grass roots ways to help encourage masks within a neighborhood elementary. Perhaps that’s better than trying to go district wide (though this is of course about the ENTIRE community not just our neighborhood school). My son has underlying health conditions and did remote all last year but that’s not an option this year and I’m considering reaching out to his teacher and maybe trying to email parents to talk about masks, wouldn’t help us make friends but perhaps appeal to parents who need to understand the particular danger this is placing on vulnerable children. It feels like we are walking a tightrope at the moment. I don’t know how I can channel my nervous energy to do everything I can to try to improve the public health guidance in a state that has wiped its hands of Covid safety tools.