Head recommending wearing masks in school

[rainyinscotland]

So DC has been back at school full time for a bit (Scotland). Secondary school. All pupils in and no masks. The Headteacher has now written to parents that it's not possible to socially distance, so he/she is recommending that pupils and teachers wear masks. Recommending, not requiring.

YABU - the Head was wrong to do that.
YANBU - the Head was right to do that.

How long does the health protection of a mask last?

I am sure I have read that they are fine for at least 4 hours or so, unless they become wet or dirty. Some sites suggest daily. They definitely dont need changing every lesson - at most two a day for your typical school day.

I think it might be a good idea for secondary - but they should have considered disposable ones and bins to put them in so that kids can change them throughout the day.

Obviously the bins would have to be medical type ones - but if disposable ones could be provided, that kids could change several times through the day, it might mitigate the lack of social distancing.

I fear than non-disposable masks could create more non covid germs to linger around kids faces so don't think that is a good idea.

@LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus

Is there any evidence that it is safe for children and young people to wear a mask for hours a day? They will be breathing in more carbon dioxide than if they weren't wearing a mask. I believe oxygen levels aren't that affected, if at all, but I haven't heard anything about carbon dioxide levels. There is no way I would allow my children to be experimented on in this way.

Carbon dioxide molecules are at least 1000 times smaller than the droplets produced when we speak. They pass through the mask. No issue with them building up at all :-)

My youngest will be going back to school with enough cloth masks to wear four per day. One for each bus journey, one for morning lessons and one for afternoon lessons. Used ones go in a bag and into the wash when she gets home.

I just don't believe masks will make a difference as kids won't wear them properly.

And how can you do PE in a mask? So it will have to be sports outdoors, fine, but then kids will be taking masks off and on for PE as well as for lunch. This means touching the masks and their faces.

It's a very long day for a young person to wear a mask, from maybe 7.45am on a bus or train til 4.30pm.

I think it is crazy to think it will be effective .

YANBU
I’m of the view it should then be a requirement (save for exceptions and consideration to clear masks if there are deaf students.
What is the point at all if it’s not now a requirement.

@HathorX do you have other ideas for schools instead of masks?

It’s looking like this will be done across all schools from September. Anything to make it safer from my point of view.

Wish my Head would say this tbh (England)

Nando in the U.K. you couldn't refuse a child or adult who couldn't wear a mask for medical reasons.

But the small percentage exempt could attend as it would t make much difference to overall risk.

My DD has chosen to wear a mask since returning and is glad she has done and feels safer especially as we received the text saying the NHS are carrying out Covid19 contact tracing at her school

They feel like if they don’t need a mask or to distance in school then why should they outside of school?

Yes, it gives them such mixed messages and makes it much less likely they’ll comply outside of school so is really counter-productive. My teens don’t mind wearing them at all-Zero fuss is made and one has worn a mask for work since March.

If people want schools to stay open, masks should be worn.

I have a feeling that in a month when cases have hit massive highs and staff are off ill, the government will THEN decide that masks are necessary in schools.

Probably some time after 1) Wales and Scotland have introduced them in schools despite cases being much lower there and 2) pupils, scientists, parent groups and some sectors of the media have campaigned for it to happen.

I expect Boris will be on holiday when it happens.

@itsgettingweird

Nando in the U.K. you couldn't refuse a child or adult who couldn't wear a mask for medical reasons.

But the small percentage exempt could attend as it would t make much difference to overall risk.

I guess I thought it wouldn't be a small percentage in the UK who don't adhere, given the views of so many on MN on wearing masks (difficult, hot, itchy, ugly etc). We've actually had to wear masks in public since May and I can tell you that kids here are very used to them, so it's not really an issue. Do the state schools provide an online option at all? Maybe that is the big difference - if you don't provide an online option then you can't refuse in-person as you'd be refusing education altogether?

As a medically vulnerable secondary teacher in a very large school, I'd worry less about kids chewing gum than about them spreading Covid. It's an incredibly mixed message to say they'll spread everywhere else as have to wear masks but they are not allowed while they're in school. I know some of my students have shielding family members so I bet they'd be happier too. I certainly wouldn't be telling them to take them off

My dc doesn't currently need a mask on school transport or in their 1600+ pupil high school. Covid magically avoids the "school estate" didn't you know? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ They still need to make up to visit the shop on the way to/from the bus stop though 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

*mask up

@recededpronunciation

My youngest will be going back to school with enough cloth masks to wear four per day. One for each bus journey, one for morning lessons and one for afternoon lessons. Used ones go in a bag and into the wash when she gets home.

Fuck that for a game of soldiers, I’d be washing 8 masks a day and they’d probably lose them, plus they ain’t cheap.

The Head is stuck between a rock and a hard place. She/He isn't in a position to enforce mask wearing (image the endless complaining, parents demanding the school provides masks, what to do is a pupil didn't wear one etc etc etc) but is in a position of responsibly where social distancing isn't possible. What do you expect him/her to do???

Ah yes I see nando those who don't want to certainly should have another option.
Those who can't should be able to attend - and I know it's not popular but I do think this should be assessed and signed off. And I say that as the mum to an autistic teen who did start to eldest masks and tried really hard but it gave him panic attacks so we stopped.
He is trying for short periods of time to see if he can learn to tolerate it.
So if college requested masks I'd suggest he tried corridors which are more likely for transmission.

Children adapt quickly and I don't think most will mind. If primary schools make kids wear them id like to see rotas put in place to get the kids outside for ten minutes every hour mask free

I've taught primary, I know it'd be a faff but again, kids adapt quickly

I think that the best way forwards for schools to open is to recognize that each School is different and that how a School opens is best served by those who are in charge of that particular School on a day to day basis - usually the HT.

The HT states that masks should be worn, then masks should be worn wherever possible. And see how it goes.

YANBU

There have been outbreaks reported in several Scottish schools. I think the news said that it was probably from house parties / not being socially distant outside school. But there is then potential for pupils to be asymptomatic / spreading virus before they are contact traced. Pupils wearing masks will protect each other and their teachers. Because realistically, there is not much possibility with many classrooms for appropriate social distance, and zero possibility if there are hundreds of students swapping classrooms in secondary schools between periods.

I think it's sensible to recommend it.

And to the PP who suggested masks cause CO2 retention - I'm pretty sure if that were even remotely true, the thousands of health professionals who have been wearing masks for 8+hrs a day since March would have suffered the effects

Most of the school cases in my area have been primary schools (under 12 years) so they can't blame that on house parties. My DDs school is the only high school....so far

I am in USA and have DS in private and DD in state school. Both schools are requiring masks, 100% adherence. Anyone who won't wear a mask gets to do online learning instead. No one apart from staff and students are allowed into the building at any time. The private school already has lower numbers and is cohorting students to help with quarantining if and when that time comes. The state school is going back fewer days each week and cohorting the students for the same reason, and also so that they can distance effectively in the classrooms. Desks have been separated and lockers are no longer being used. Both schools are doing daily health screening. (We are not in a high-infections state.)

Similar in my low infection US state although most schools haven't returned yet.

The new schedule is to have a class first thing, then advisor group during which they'll be 6' apart and can take masks off. Then lessons again, then lunch in advisor with masks off again. More lessons, then home. They'll have as many outdoor classes without masks as possible too.

The longest they'll wear a mask is 80 minutes at a time apparently.

As DD is currently wearing a mask for 8 hour shifts in a hot kitchen with one meal break, she's thinking school will be pretty easy in comparison.

I made some. Didn’t cost me much. Wasn’t that hard to do (I am not ‘good’ at arty crafty stuff) and we do a load of laundry every day anyway.