Mask instructions from school

[Summertime2]

DDs school have sent instructions that masks are to be worn in classrooms this term - fine. But also that the masks should be cloth rather than disposable as apparently more effective and better for the environment.

DD has been told they will "be challenged" if wearing a disposable mask.

AIBU to object to this? First I can find nothing online that says cloth masks are better than disposable - in fact the opposite.

Secondly - does this mean the school could also insist on cotton hankies rather than tissues? On old rags rather than sanitary towels?

Surely this is not the school's job?

Here is the email for reference - for info the email my DD received was much more firm. Let me know if IABU to tell them to get lost and DD will wear a disposable mask if we choose. Which she does as she finds it more comfortable.

Face coverings:

"Pupils now need to wear masks in lessons, practice exams, in the corridors, in all communal areas and also in classrooms at lunch and break. We would very much appreciate it if all pupils could bring their own, non-disposable, mask to school. This is helpful from a sustainability perspective but also in ensuring the effectiveness of the mask. We have contacted the girls on several occasions about the importance of using non-disposable masks but last term we saw students use more than 300 disposable masks in school each week. We would really appreciate your support in this matter. "

It’s just a request for your support, not a requirement to only wear cloth. Nothing about challenging them if they wear a disposable.

@HelloDulling

It’s just a request for your support, not a requirement to only wear cloth. Nothing about challenging them if they wear a disposable.

The email to DD says they will be challenged

You are right that surgical masks are more effective than cloth. The easiest stats I have to hand were actually shared today by The Wall Street Journal. (N95 is not a recognised classification in the U.K., but is broadly similar to FFP3. But note the 25 hours is a non-fit tested mask, when properly fitted, the time to transmit Covid jumps to 2500 hours).

The real bottom line though is that masks don’t really work. Not because “they don”t work” but because an entire population cannot wear them properly. Leaving aside all the obvious nose-poking etc, most people make errors every day with masks. For starters, no single mask should be worn continuously all day. Masks stop being effective as soon as they get even a little bit damp (the reason why proper surgical masks are fluid resistant) and should be changed as soon as they are. Since breathing makes them damp, they need changing frequently.

Since disposables are an ecological time bomb, and probably not making a significant difference due to errors in use (some of the ones I’ve seen look like they’ve been worn continuously for weeks) then on balance, encouraging cloth masks probably makes the most sense.

Hi Summertime2 - we got that same email yesterday & I also raised my eyebrows at the tone. It was quite strong.
Just wanted to add that DD has been using period pants since end of year 5...complete & utter game changers and I only wished I'd had that option when I was 10. So much less hassle & stress that faffing around with pads which was my prime concern. One pair lasts all day & another all night. We bought a briefs/shorts teen bundle from Modibodi which I think are the best brand out there. No looking back - DD (now yr7) is having a far better experience than I did at the same age.

I don’t understand why no one has ever mentioned how bad for the environment all these non biodegradable plastic testing kits are. Old LFT kits had a cardboard holder but now it has plastic tray. Also cotton sticks are plastic. Why not paper sticks?

Write a note to any teacher who challenges your DD and say if anyone takes issue to her disposable mask is free to contact you, and you will happily share your findings into the efficacy of disposable vs cloth masks.

My first thought is that the school is trying to save costs on supplying disposable masks.

Disposable masks are effective for approximately 20 minutes,

I remember reading this ages ago. However the same article said they should be changed when damp and my fabric masks get damp much faster than the disposables so they should be changed that frequently too.

@Summertime2

My DD's have period pants and moon cups do yes to reusable (I no longer need such items)

They are wrong and control freaks. Masks are about health and safety; that comes ahead of environmental concerns in this instance. They have no business dictating a downgrade in mask effectiveness.

We have had 34,000 disposable masks delivered to school. And another something like 28,000 are on their way. We haven’t ordered any we are just given them to distribute (we don’t unless students ask for them/have forgotten them)
No LFD packs to distribute however, which we really do need, ordered in good time and have not had delivered.

@Summertime2 your DD doesn't go to a girl's school im Buckinghamshire does she? I had an almost identical email.

I would say send her in the one you choose, with a note asking any teacher who has an issue to contact you. They are within their rights not to provide disposables (which I’m sure eats into budgets) or take a hard stance on littering, but this feels like overstepping.

@Summertime2 I haven't rtft but washable period pants are the way forward, so much easier than any other option for teens. My daughter can easily wear a single pair for a whole school day no need to change as they are super absorbent but look like normal underwear. Just chuck in wash with darks, no need to rinse first or wash separately.

[quote Player456]@Summertime2 your DD doesn't go to a girl's school im Buckinghamshire does she? I had an almost identical email.[/quote]
No - girls' school in London!

No schools aren’t paying for masks - they’re being delivered off, thousands at a time.

@SheSaidHummingbird

My first thought is that the school is trying to save costs on supplying disposable masks.

No - schools have thousands delivered off for free

You know a lot of school offer free cloth pads as part of their free sanitary product initiative? As requested by student demand.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-in-schools-and-colleges/period-product-scheme-for-schools-and-colleges-in-england#products-available

OP look into period pants for teens. Just like normal underwear so no-one will spot them when changing (this was a big issue with sanitary towels when I was at school). I find them much more comfortable than disposable pads.

Etsy do good period pads and a range of absorbent knickers.

@saraclara

In an August study published pre-peer review, a group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found that surgical masks are 95% effective at filtering out virus particles — compared to just 37% for cloth masks.

www.cnbc.com/2021/10/15/are-cloth-masks-effective-for-covid-surgical-masks-vs-kn95-explained.html

France has banned cloth masks, by the way. Because most of them simply do nothing.

They can be really good or really terrible,” depending on what fabric is used, said Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary health care services at the University of Oxford.

Double or triple-layer masks made of a mix of materials can be more effective, but most cloth coverings are just “fashion accessories,” according to Greenhalgh.

That doesn’t support your “cloth masks do nothing” claim though. Even 37% filtration is better than zero. Most fabric masks these days have 3layers.

@pinkstripeycat

I don’t understand why no one has ever mentioned how bad for the environment all these non biodegradable plastic testing kits are. Old LFT kits had a cardboard holder but now it has plastic tray. Also cotton sticks are plastic. Why not paper sticks?

Oh don’t start on that. The waste is astronomical, sadly.

I'm amazed the school wants cloth masks. We are abroad and it has to be the light medical masks or FFP2 ones everywhere (public transport, shops, cinema, swimming pools, restaurants, etc.)
I have reusable FFP2 masks for school because we wear them nonstop throughout the school day.

@Dizzyhedgehog

I'm amazed the school wants cloth masks. We are abroad and it has to be the light medical masks or FFP2 ones everywhere (public transport, shops, cinema, swimming pools, restaurants, etc.) I have reusable FFP2 masks for school because we wear them nonstop throughout the school day.

Because the UK is not willing to tell people to use FFP2.

We have them when I started going back to the office as the trains were around 80% of pre-covid fullness. They are very expensive in my opinion and no pressure to use them.

My mum and my in-laws live in Germany where. they are mandatory and nobody says a thing but here the government is afraid for anything which could be unpopular and cost money.

We haven’t had this at our school, head teacher is on the gate every morning making sure kids have a mask if they don’t she hands out a disposable one.

I would continue to send my son in whatever mask I had available that morning even if the school preferred the fabric ones, I would not keep forking out for a fabric one every time he lost one, it would cost me a fortune.