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.

I've never watched a YouTube video about covid in my life.

I think I've demonstrated though that I understand the significance of an abstract in an academic scientific article. I'm not going to try and convince you of my scientific background.

I will indeed give up.

Please do give up as honestly you don't seem to know what context means. You also highlight perfectly why I first attached a summary article about studies from a Science magazine, because the actual studies can be hard going for lay people.

That particular study is about 18 months old. I'm always sceptical about some of these studies when like in this case, they are written by those who will directly benefit from people believing them.

More fear about it, more funding and a more secure job for the author.

OP, do what you feel is right for you. The likeliest source for picking up infection of any kind is hand to face contamination. How many times do you place your hands on eg a bannister, a table, students books. Then how many times do you scratch your nose, your ear, cover a sneeze.
Alcohol gel would be a better means of protecting yourself than a mask imo.

I'm afraid the science is very much against you on the most likely source of infection for Covid - airborne transmission is by far the most likely.

Please read what I said. The likeliest source for any infection. Also the NHS advice on the spread of it states coming into contact with it on surfaces contaminated by other peoples sneezes, coughs etc.

As PP's have said, unless you wear essentially a full mask and visor with your ears plugged, and then adhere to strict protocol in a sterile room when removing them. They really aren't massively effective.

Absolutely not true. The fact its 18mths old and there are plenty more and increasing as time goes by shows we have growing global evidence of the harm covid does. Covid is airborne - you are far more likely to catch it from breathing in infected air. A mask is going to offer far more protection than hand gel.
www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted

As I believe a PP pointed out to you. Masks are effective at stopping the wearer from spreading an airborne virus. They are nowhere near as effective at stopping you from catching one, due to the countless other points of contamination we come in contact with daily.

I'd also suggest you google the name of the author in that piece, and see the controversy that surrounds him in several other reports.

AntI WHO rubbish. There's plenty of other sources all saying the same thing.
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/preventing-the-spread/how-coronavirus-spread/

You are also wrong regarding masks - FFP2/3 are proven to protect the wearer.

Of course lay people know less than trained medics. I'd bloody hope so! But we all need to do our best to understand virus transmission and immunity as best we can to try and help social health and protect vulnerable people.

Advice offered without mockery is usually better received.

So explain to me how wearing this mask stops the virus particles getting into the body via the ears or eyes. What about when some snot filled teenager has sneezed with fallout landing on his desk, where teacher then places her hands unknowingly. Same scenario on staircases. Door handles.

What's your point? Washing hands will mitigate against the rarer chance of wiping virus particles into your eyes or ears. If you are wearing a mask your nose & mouth is protected. However, the science has shown repeatedly that covid is predominantly transmitted through the air. Hospitals & studies have proven using masks dramatically reduce transmission. Likewise they have also demonstrated using HEPA filters - cleaning the air - removed covid and stopped transmission. Covid is airborne. Washing hands is great general hygiene practice but won't protect you from the primary risk of airborne transmission. No one is saying wear a mask and stop all other forms of hygiene - but hand washing is not going to stop airborne transmission which is the primary cause.

Well firstly those airborne particles enter the body through those orifices also.

Secondly and more importantly, we generally touch our faces just over once a minute. So give a thought to how many times that virus or other bacteria gets transferred from the aforementioned desk etc to your eyes, ears, nose or mouth.

My vaccinated, asthmatic, 9 year old caught whooping cough this year. It’s been 3 months of him coughing until he vomits. Watching him gasp for breath and cry each time is just awful.
If the school are happy (I know it can make the teaching of phonics tricky for example) then wear your mask. Your’s and your baby’s health is your priority x
Congratulations on your pregnancy, OP, sounds like you waited a long time for this little one xx

I think you need to read up - all the science regardless of country or policy clearly states that the main route of transmission is by breathing it in because its airborne. Wearing a mask does not prevent you from taking normal hygiene practices.

You really are making yourself look rather silly here. This is all about mitigation of risk, by far the greatest risk is inhalation, and an FFP3 mask will reduce that risk by more than 99%.

What is your problem with that?

You never have to disclose your personal medical information to anyone in this context.
It is something for senior management if the family are still unhappy.

I do think you should see if you can get your flu etc vaccines brought forward as a mask + vaccines is much better protection than just a mask.

I would have assumed you’re recently vaccinated against covid though. I had mine in May but I believe it was rolled out around April 2024 in some areas @EmsHugs did you miss this one?

Sorry, I forgot about Scotland 🤦

I do really understand your worries - I get severe chest infections with asthma and the germs in the classroom are unbelievable. I wouldn't wear a mask though - just make sure there's plenty of circulating air and lots of hand washing etc. I don't know how I'd feel in your situation. Parents send children in with lots of bugs because they need to work and they are harrassed by the council if attendance drops below 95%. Also generally healthy children do need to show some resilience or we'd all stay home all the time.

I hope you come to a solution that suits you.

The OP has already said that the windows are sealed and air is recirculated mechanically, she has no control over it.

I think you are well within your rights in these circumstances, and am pleased that the school are supporting you.

As you can see even on this thread, masks are very divisive. Many were angry that they had to wear them during covid, and many cannot bear to see their child disadvantaged in any way however minimal or justified.

I expect you are right that this parent simply cannot accept 'no' for an answer but they will have to. Stand your ground. We should stand up to unreasonable parents more often imo.

I still regularly see people wearing masks - a teacher at our school, a receptionist at the GP surgery, one of my hairdressers.

Me too. a couple of people who work in my local supermarket, people wandering around going about their business.

It’s a very odd concept, isn’t it, being in any way angered, frightened or upset by someone wearing a mask to protect their health?

Some very peculiar people about - you have to wonder how they manage if confronted by a dentist or a surgeon!

Masks don’t prevent you from getting sick, they just slightly lower the chance that you will spread your own sicknesses to others! A waste of time really.

It's possible someone has said this, but the thing I would add for the OP and others is that you can buy a CO2 monitor and this may help you. CO2 is a proxy for how much breathed-out air is in the air you are breathing, vs fresh air. This should firstly give you an idea of how decent the filtration system is in your school. If the CO2 is consistently high, talk to the Head about installing filters? Lots of diseases are airborne so this will help general sickness levels among all staff and students! If levels are usually beneath 800ppm then you may not need to wear a mask at all, apart from very close-contact moments when you can pop one on for a few minutes. I know a couple who are both scientists and work in virology and their advice is put an FPP2/FPP3 mask on once numbers reach 800-1000, and get out of there if numbers get above about 1700. It has worked for me.

I am fortunate to do most of all my teaching without a mask by standing near an open window. When I see the numbers creep up on my CO2 device, I open a second window, maybe put a mask on for 10 mins until they fall again. I've taught since the pandemic, and have done plenty of travelling by train, and am yet to catch Covid. I've caught a cold once since 2019 and it was very light (perhaps since Covid hasn't damaged my immune system - another thing the mainstream doesn't like to talk about). I know the OP said she couldn't open a window and this does make it a more tricky situation, but in terms of making a more general point that's what I was able to do.

It has been enlightening reading some of these responses through and realising how few people realise that Covid is airborne, or that an FPP2/3 mask protects the wearer, etc. I'm also heartened how many people do know things. It's tragic how the world was let down by the mainstream media in the pandemic. I only have the understanding I have thanks to following all the best scientists I could find on Twitter.

Wishing the OP all the best.