Anonymous wrote:This fervor makes me very sad. Will my high school-aged kids have to wear masks for the rest of their years in HS? I feel that it is significantly harming my son with ASD in regards to his social development. Plus, we (and so many others) are all wearing these stupid, 1- or 2-ply cotton masks that do absolutely nothing. Vaccination is the key! We all caught Covid over winter break, and our bodies were perfectly primed to fight it. My brother, a pediatric ER doc, got it first and spread it around to everyone. We were sick with sniffles and sore throat, we recovered, and we moved on.

Instead of fighting the mask fight, let's fight the vaccination fight. Let's require vaccinations for airplane/train travel, for going into bars/gyms/restaurants, for going into work. Oh wait, we're not allowed to do that... no vaccine mandate. But we can force our highly vaccinated corner of the country to wear masks for years, even though it didn't stop the Omicron surge and our Fairfax hospitals are nowhere near at capacity. Thousands of people in Fairfax caught Covid over this past month. The vast, vast, vast majority were sick and got better. Let's celebrate vaccines and get rid of the mask mandate.

I think a lot of people don’t realize this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

Vaccines are not available for those under 5.

DH and DS were at an hour long appointment with a therapist. All masked. Two days later we get a call that therapist tested positive. DH and DS never show any symptoms. Thank goodness for masks. They should keep the mask mandate until cases are much, much lower and a vaccine is available for those under 5.

There's a big difference between wearing a mask at a 1 hour therapist appointment and for 8 hours in school. Your post is irrelevant.

Masking is not preventing spread in school. Unmask them now. Here's hoping Youngkin drops the mandate, drops quarentining the healthy, and prohibits schools from establishing mask and vaccine mandates.

Remember....you can still vaccinate and mask....its just no mandated!

It absolutely is. I have had no cases in my classroom and very few absences this year. My students take Covid seriously and are good about masking.

You are out of touch.

DP

How is the PP out of touch?

ES Teacher

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

When the weather improves then I will unmask. Seriously as a teacher with high risk family members I'm not sure I will continue teaching if everyone unmasks next week. If I do it will be very hard to treat families and children who chose to unmask the same way I do others. Think if it like going to the doctor while a minority or obese- you get treated differently. Obesity and racial status aren't as easy to control either.

Ps- would never say this irl, but it is the truth. It will be very difficult for all of us as teachers to treat your kid the same. I'll guess I will just make a table of you in the back of the room far far away from me.

I say FCPS should and will keep the masks for now, but this teacher does not speak for “all of us teachers”.

ES Teacher

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

Vaccines are not available for those under 5.

DH and DS were at an hour long appointment with a therapist. All masked. Two days later we get a call that therapist tested positive. DH and DS never show any symptoms. Thank goodness for masks. They should keep the mask mandate until cases are much, much lower and a vaccine is available for those under 5.

There's a big difference between wearing a mask at a 1 hour therapist appointment and for 8 hours in school. Your post is irrelevant.

Masking is not preventing spread in school. Unmask them now. Here's hoping Youngkin drops the mandate, drops quarentining the healthy, and prohibits schools from establishing mask and vaccine mandates.

Remember....you can still vaccinate and mask....its just no mandated!

It absolutely is. I have had no cases in my classroom and very few absences this year. My students take Covid seriously and are good about masking.

You are out of touch.

This fervor makes me very sad. Will my high school-aged kids have to wear masks for the rest of their years in HS? I feel that it is significantly harming my son with ASD in regards to his social development. Plus, we (and so many others) are all wearing these stupid, 1- or 2-ply cotton masks that do absolutely nothing. Vaccination is the key! We all caught Covid over winter break, and our bodies were perfectly primed to fight it. My brother, a pediatric ER doc, got it first and spread it around to everyone. We were sick with sniffles and sore throat, we recovered, and we moved on.

Instead of fighting the mask fight, let's fight the vaccination fight. Let's require vaccinations for airplane/train travel, for going into bars/gyms/restaurants, for going into work. Oh wait, we're not allowed to do that... no vaccine mandate. But we can force our highly vaccinated corner of the country to wear masks for years, even though it didn't stop the Omicron surge and our Fairfax hospitals are nowhere near at capacity. Thousands of people in Fairfax caught Covid over this past month. The vast, vast, vast majority were sick and got better. Let's celebrate vaccines and get rid of the mask mandate.

Anonymous wrote:I think this is not going to be an issue in Fairfax County. I was under the impression that Youngkin was going to get rid of the state mask mandate that requires all students, teachers, staff, and visitors age 2 and older to wear a mask indoors in private and public PreK-12 school settings, regardless of vaccination status. This includes private religious schools. But he was going to allow individual school districts and private schools to [b]make their own decisions regarding mask mandates[/b]. I can't imagine with our woke school board that they will do anything but keep the mask mandate in place.

Now, in a year, if the pandemic becomes endemic but some districts still have mandates, I could see at that point Youngkin would prevent mask mandates. Individual students or teachers would still be allowed to make their own decisions, but FCPS would no longer be able to mandate masks.

I agree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

Vaccines are not available for those under 5.

DH and DS were at an hour long appointment with a therapist. All masked. Two days later we get a call that therapist tested positive. DH and DS never show any symptoms. Thank goodness for masks. They should keep the mask mandate until cases are much, much lower and a vaccine is available for those under 5.

There's a big difference between wearing a mask at a 1 hour therapist appointment and for 8 hours in school. Your post is irrelevant.

Masking is not preventing spread in school. Unmask them now. Here's hoping Youngkin drops the mandate, drops quarentining the healthy, and prohibits schools from establishing mask and vaccine mandates.

Remember....you can still vaccinate and mask....its just no mandated!

The point is that wearing masks DID prevent the spread of covid. The same thing happens when they are worn in school, spread is prevented. And masks work best when everyone is wearing them - the unknowingly infected person breathes out into their mask, not onto someone else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my parent teacher conference in November, my 2nd grader’s teacher thanked me for vaccinating my daughter (my kid had apparently shared). She was grateful for the parents taking all precautions possible.

Look, I don’t love the masks, but with the current surge and stupid high community spread, it isn’t time to drop any of the mitigation efforts/layers.

Vaccinate your kids, please. That rate has to come up.

But your vaccinated kid doesn't protect the teacher, only your kid. Vaccinated peope spread omicron. You and your kid's teacher don't understand.

As far as masks, we cannot keep wearing them forever. This has to end.

Agreed that it has to end. BUT NOT NOW. Not when the rates are what they are and hospitals and the community are overwhelmed. It would be catastrophic.

Anonymous wrote:At my parent teacher conference in November, my 2nd grader’s teacher thanked me for vaccinating my daughter (my kid had apparently shared). She was grateful for the parents taking all precautions possible.

Look, I don’t love the masks, but with the current surge and stupid high community spread, it isn’t time to drop any of the mitigation efforts/layers.

Vaccinate your kids, please. That rate has to come up.

But your vaccinated kid doesn't protect the teacher, only your kid. Vaccinated peope spread omicron. You and your kid's teacher don't understand.

As far as masks, we cannot keep wearing them forever. This has to end.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

When the weather improves then I will unmask. Seriously as a teacher with high risk family members I'm not sure I will continue teaching if everyone unmasks next week. If I do it will be very hard to treat families and children who chose to unmask the same way I do others. Think if it like going to the doctor while a minority or obese- you get treated differently. Obesity and racial status aren't as easy to control either.

Ps- would never say this irl, but it is the truth. It will be very difficult for all of us as teachers to treat your kid the same. I'll guess I will just make a table of you in the back of the room far far away from me.

+1 Another teacher with a high-risk family member here. I teach in an interior, windowless classroom. I'm delighted to be back in person fully vaccinated and masked, and I'm stunned that so many people are suggesting that masks for students are an imposition. Really? Why can't we just finish this school year masked and go mask-optional for next school year? Omicron has presented enough of a disruption to this school year already.

When does masking end? Maybe it ends when COVID hospitalizations aren't so high. Maybe when the positivity rate is nowhere near 25%. Maybe when "COVID cases hit new record" isn't a headline we see weekly.

My kids will be unmasking when this surge ends- so likely after spring break I will allow the to unmask.

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

Car crashes aren’t contagious, nitwit. Stop whining about masks you don’t even have to wear. Jesus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

When the weather improves then I will unmask. Seriously as a teacher with high risk family members I'm not sure I will continue teaching if everyone unmasks next week. If I do it will be very hard to treat families and children who chose to unmask the same way I do others. Think if it like going to the doctor while a minority or obese- you get treated differently. Obesity and racial status aren't as easy to control either.

Ps- would never say this irl, but it is the truth. It will be very difficult for all of us as teachers to treat your kid the same. I'll guess I will just make a table of you in the back of the room far far away from me.

If kids wearing masks were protecting your high-risk family members, they’d all be dead by now.

At my parent teacher conference in November, my 2nd grader’s teacher thanked me for vaccinating my daughter (my kid had apparently shared). She was grateful for the parents taking all precautions possible.

Look, I don’t love the masks, but with the current surge and stupid high community spread, it isn’t time to drop any of the mitigation efforts/layers.

Vaccinate your kids, please. That rate has to come up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is: when does masking the kids ever end? Kids are more likely to die in a car crash than of covid, vaccines are available. Breathing slimy, dirty air trapped in the mask is also unhealthy! It’s enough, there is no off ramp. After Omricon, there will, of course, be another variant. It’s past time for normalcy.

Vaccines are not available for those under 5.

DH and DS were at an hour long appointment with a therapist. All masked. Two days later we get a call that therapist tested positive. DH and DS never show any symptoms. Thank goodness for masks. They should keep the mask mandate until cases are much, much lower and a vaccine is available for those under 5.

There's a big difference between wearing a mask at a 1 hour therapist appointment and for 8 hours in school. Your post is irrelevant.

Masking is not preventing spread in school. Unmask them now. Here's hoping Youngkin drops the mandate, drops quarentining the healthy, and prohibits schools from establishing mask and vaccine mandates.

Remember....you can still vaccinate and mask....its just no mandated!

It absolutely is. I have had no cases in my classroom and very few absences this year. My students take Covid seriously and are good about masking.