AIBU to want to wear a mask again in my classroom

[EmsHugs]

Would like to know AIBU to not give in to this parent demand.

I am in my second trimester but still quite small so not told many people as we still have some tests etc and i am listed as high risk. It is my first pregnancy after years of infertility, failed IVf and and I am being super cautious. Before the summer when I was in the early weeks of my pregnancy I caught covid and was very ill so since returning to school I have chosen to wear a mask, particularly as I have still to get several of the vaccinations like flu, whooping cough etc.

A parent of a child has put in a complaint and said I should remove the mask because it makes their child anxious but I have said while I am sorry their child does not like the mask, due to current health issues I will not. They have now made accusations that I am a poor teacher and not respectful of their child's issues, however as a high school teacher I have over 500 pupils in and out my classroom every week and want to every precaution I can to protect my baby. The school are aware why I am doing this and said they will explain to the parent but several of my colleagues, friends and family members are still not awaresi am pregnant so I do not particularly feel I should have to divulge this to a parent and that stating my health concerns should be sufficient. I have even sat with the child and explained that I wear the mask to protect myself and that I need to wear it for now but that may change later but I appreciate them being understanding. The pupil seemed to be okay but the parent continues to be adament and I believe it is because I have immediately not given into them and stood my ground.

The stress of this parent sending complaints everytime this child is in my class 4 times a week, is getting me very stressed so I would like to know:

AIBU to not divulge at the moment the reason I need to wear a mask
AINBU the parent needs to realise they cannot get everything they want.

How many times? THE WINDOWS DO NOT OPEN, THE BUILDING IS ON A CIRCULATING AIR SYSTEM.

Are you able to wear a see through mask? My kid’s speech therapist wears one so you can still see the mouth move etc.
where I am many people wear mask especially at the supermarket tills, pharmacists, more and more shoppers wear them too. At my kid’s school many teachers wear them as well

Covid is increasingly being linked to immune system damage - similar to Measles. It is this that is making colds last longer, not the few spells of lock down (or semi lockdown). Teachers, healthcare staff, emergency services, some manufacturing, energy workers, transport workers (and others) continued to go to work throughout the lockdown period - and they are also suffering from lingering colds etc.

YANBU OP.

You're entitled to wear one, you have rights under the equality act and your employer needs to support you with this (you don't need to reveal your pregnancy).

I work with teenagers and wear an FFP2 mask in work all the time. Luckily no one has minded yet ( I just say I have health issues), but if they did mind I still wouldn't take it off.

Covid infection in pregnancy can be really dangerous for you and the baby (it can also be dangerous for young children). Literally teaching is just your job, it's not your whole life and isn't worth letting it impact your health or your baby's health for (potentially long term).

In addition to a mask you might want to look into a carageenan based antiviral nasal spray (eg boots dual defence is safe in pregnancy).

A HEPA filter in your classroom and good ventilation will also reduce the risk of everyone becoming ill. Check out clean air stars website for advice re: HEPA filters if that's something that might be affordable for you.

Congrats on your pregnancy and hope you get through it infection free!

Wishing you all the best 💐

Because they remind me of covid lockdowns. I would never take my anger out on anyone. I think everyone who wants to wear a mask should absolutely wear one, as I made very clear in my original post which was in support of OP wearing one.

Do you realise that's its still a bigger problem for the immunocompromised! They can't mount a vaccine response and covid could kill them?

This is foolish advice.

Even if masking worked, as soon as she takes the mask off at the front of the room, she might as well forget the whole thing.

OP you absolutely do not have to reveal your health conditions. Sounds like your school are rightly supportive and they need to shut this down.
Sounds like you have it in hand but for what it's worth not only is it wise to wear an FFP3 but also recommended by NHS as pregnancy classes you as vulnerable to covid and entitles you to a vaccine. Green Book also lists you as vulnerable.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/how-to-avoid-catching-and-spreading-covid-19/
ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/02/whos-eligible-for-the-2024-covid-19-vaccine-or-autumn-booster/
Frankly I would advise you wear your FFP3 for all of your pregnancy particularly as we head into winter and vaccine doesn't prevent you from catching covid, but hopefully reduces severity.
It's unfortunate that your classroom doesn't have windows to open but I hope they are using a True HEPA to clean the air within their system. Again lots of gov guidance to schools on this - ventilation, CO2 monitors & HEPAS.
www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings
Lots of evidence that with the correct air changes HEPAS remove covid from the air.
adc.bmj.com/content/108/Suppl_2/A98.1
Also look at Boots Dual Defence Nasal spray and mouthwashes containing CPC - studies show they help reduce/prevent viral load (obv check appropriate for pregnancy).
Sadly teachers have been hit hard with long covid, do all you can to protect your health.
oem.bmj.com/content/80/10/545

Remember your health is priority.
Best of luck.

Unfortunately it is mainstream science covid is damaging our immune system.
www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-study-suggests-long-term-damage-immune-system

If you think a mask will protect you (it won't) then you also need to wear close-fitting goggles and plug your ears - because they are other routes for viruses to enter the body. Obviously you can't wear all that, so you either need to calm down or go off sick with anxiety ... because you will not be an effective communicator with a face nappy on.

One or two tentative studies, reported in a magazine, do not constitute mainstream scientific consensus.

I could post reams of random magazine articles that say "a study suggests" broccoli causes cancer or swimming cures ADHD or something, because one flawed study initially found a spurious correlation.

A clue is the words "study [singular] suggests..."

@DragonGypsyDoris

”face nappy”

yeah right. Good job OP can do what she wants isn’t it and that she has her schools support 😀

The magazine will be quoting on the studies, makes it an easier read for most.

Plenty of studies out there.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10721820/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10834368/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10061413/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.16210

Not sure how many you would like?

Mainstream medical advice is that covid is a risk to pregnancy which is why they are advised to have the vaccine.
https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/pregnancy-and-covid-19/#:~:text=If%20you're%20pregnant%2C%20you,have%20symptoms%20of%20COVID%2D19.

I clicked on one of those at random (the last one) and in the very first paragraph it says "little is known about long term effects of covid-19 on the immune system".

Which is my point. They might be looking for correlations and initially think they see some. But that needs a lot of peer review and corroboration before it is mainstream consensus.

What is mainstream consensus is that isolation means your immunity to fast changing viruses becomes less up to date. Hence worse summer colds.

Edit to make quote word-for-word

I do not think you are being unreasonable at all. Teaching in a secondary school is hard. Being pregnant is hard. So teaching in a secondary school while pregnant, after fertility issues and everything you have been through must be incredibly challenging and a worrying time for you.

I am not a doctor - or an armchair covid expert - but I think if wearing the mask makes you feel better and more comfortable being in your classroom, then it is completely within your right to do so. Especially with the support of your school.

Everyone saying it hinders a child’s education are stating their opinion as though it is a proven fact. There are a lot of things that hinder a child’s education but a teacher wearing a mask in a classroom is not one of them.

The parent needs to wind their neck in. It is your classroom. If their child is so anxious about you wearing a mask that it is hindering their learning, then they need to move classes. Or take their class work to complete in a different classroom during your lesson.

There are plenty of ways to support the student with their anxiety that do not involve you giving in to the parent’s demands and jeopardising your own mental and physical well-being. Or providing the parent with your personal health information. Even if your pregnancy won’t be a secret forever, the issues you’ve had in getting to this stage are private - and you absolutely should not have to share them with a parent.

This has turned into a bit of a rant - and I’m sorry for that - but as a secondary school teacher myself, I am sick of parents like the one you have mentioned.

Quoting an opening sentence out of context hardly proves anything. Here's a quote from same study "COVID-19 causes long-term reduction of innate and adaptive immune cells which is associated with a Th2 serum cytokine profile. "
On the scale of things, yes, 'little is known' because its a new illness. However it is becoming more apparent as more studies take place that covid is causing long term damage. You can minimise covid as much as you like - it doesn't change the develping facts.

@EmsHugs

Just wanted to say that I can't believe how much sh!t you've gotten on this thread! You are completely & understandably within your rights to wear a mask for a while.

Dear God, yet again, more teaching bashing from ignorant people who have no bloody idea what the job involves. You clearly care about your students & are not in any way damaging their education or mental health by wearing a mask - especially at Secondary level when they're perfectly old enough to understand your explanation.

The persistent complainer needs to be firmly put in her place, once & for all, by your SLT.

Honestly that is not what context means.

I took the topic sentence of the abstract. That is the context and summary.

You've taken a very specific sentence much more out of context than I have. What is the Th2 serum cytokine profile? What significance does that have on the body's overall immunity? Is it crucial or can the immune system cope without it?

The vast majority of laymen including myself does not know the answer to these questions. That's what the abstract is for! That's why quoting the abstract is more useful.

I'm really trying here, in good faith, to explain medical misinformation online but I'm close to giving up

That is utter nonsense. I can only assume that you’re antivax and get your information from the Daily Express. What possible pleasure can people like you get from posting deliberate disinformation on websites?

@doce
TBH anyone that uses the term "face nappy" isn't worth your time.
Its better to just not engage with them.

@Mumoftwo1316 Yes, please do give up. The only person giving medical misinformation is you. Many people on this thread know what they’re talking about, and have clearly either got scientific / medical backgrounds or have kept on top of the actual research (not just YouTube videos and Daily Mail articles telling you what you want to hear, then insisting they’re some sort of “mainstream”, proven understanding against all evidence, just because you don’t understand science / can’t face the reality!).

Thankfully the OP is a smart cookie and clearly knows how to keep herself and her baby safe, but someone else may come on and read your comments and put themselves / their baby at unnecessary risk 😞.

Also the gaslighting and awful comments to the OP from a number of posters. I really hope this hasn’t created unnecessary stress for her in what must be a worrying time 😞.

Do you teach a core subject if you see the child four times each week in a secondary school? If so, could the child not be moved into the next set/a different class? Presumably, there won't be massive differences in ability and pace between your class and the next one. Once you go on maternity leave there will be changes anyway.

@EmsHugs my child's best teacher was wearing a mask the whole school year (I happened to know the reason but it really doesn't matter) and she was amazing.

Some people just love to complain, others have genuine reasons but if said parent is not willing to engage in conversation I would be dubious. Rather than tell them your reasons a conversation would be about how best to support the child.