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.

This parent doesn't sound like they care about the reasons for the mask wearing as surely they would have thought about possible reasons for the mask wearing in advance of submitting the complaints and have already decided they have a problem with the mask regardless of the reason. I think the school need to nip this in the bud and respond to parent robustly and say they have undertaken the relevant checks and they are supporting the teacher and won't entertain any further correspondence about the mask.

Anyone in the OPs situation would feel anxious about the pregnancy after everything she's been through so if she wants to wear a mask she should. All the best OP

I assumed from the reference to ‘school district’ that she is in the US, but I might be wrong. Some US schools start in August too.

I don't think YABU.
If you can, tell the parent they can complain to the head if they are unhappy with your response but you won't be engaging with their complaints further at this time. As PP said emphasise that this temp due to health issues, and that the school is fully aware and on board with the situation.
All the best for the rest of your pregnancy

I have no problem with mask wearers but for how long will ypu contuine to do so?.
We all have rights and the parent needs to get over it.

Wear the mask! The teacher PTSD thread goes to show how stressful teaching is without the added worry of keeping your pregnancy safe. Sometimes we have to put ourselves first.

@Genevieva that is a good point about the wording "school district". Still doesn't change the blatant ignorance of some on here who think the whole of the UK all do the same across all 4 nations, but I do agree with your point regarding the wording by OP.

Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.

@WorriedMama12

Even for health reasons?

The only health reason is to avoid spreading to others.

Masks don't prevent you catching it.

I feel your management should be better supporting you here: if a parent is emailing 4 times a week then that is harassment which absolutely should not be tolerated. They also should not be divulging your pregnancy in order to satisfy this parent - there’s a good chance that it won’t and let’s be fair, that’s low down on the list of reasons as to why they shouldn’t be telling people of your pregnancy.

Have you spoken with your union?

As for the other discussion which you didn’t ask for as to whether FFP(3 I hope..) masks protect you - they do.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8635983/

The right mask does prevent you from catching it. Or it helps.

As someone who’s been housebound for a year with Long Covid and was perfectly fine before that, l think you should be able to wear a mask.

I wish everyone wore one. Then l wouldn’t have lost my entire life.

Mask does not stop you catching infections.
I’m sorry to hear you are feeling so anxious.

Wear the mask. Your HOD or Principal needs to deal with the parent.

I wore masks to teach in. It was fine. I didn't do d it too uncomfortable. Kids could hear me no problem. Non issue.

I don’t think any of this is relevant to the OP. She has made her choice. Her school supports it. She is wondering about how to handle a parent.

However, as you have raised it, ordinary disposable surgical masks were created for surgery to prevent splatter on the face / in the mouth. These are sometimes worn in places like Japan by people with mild colds on public transport. This is a cultural tradition. They don’t wear them to protect themselves.

FFP3 were created to reduce airborne particles from being breathed in. They need to be well fitted and they can reduce blood oxygen levels in some people, but they are designed to reduce the wearer’s chances of breathing in anything airborne. That includes respiratory viruses.

All my vaccines are scheduled for Sept that is why I am wearing a mask until then.

My advice- try and have maximum ventilation . Easy at the moment as it is summer/early autumn. Open your classroom windows! This makes a huge difference but you would be surprised how many classroom windows are kept shut all through the year. personally regardless of virus's fresh air is just nicer especially when teaching teenagers lol.
Get a CO2 monitor to keep an eye on readings- they are hand held and easy to buy- cheap. This will help you to feel reassured.
Consider buying an air filter for your classroom. Ok so its a personal purchase but worth it for peace of mind. You can keep it when you go on mat leave. These work! My DD had covid over xmas and none of our household caught it despite none of us taking any precautions. I am not in the business of recommending brands so you will have to do that research. About £300 ish.
Look up nasal sprays- some people use these and they can help protect your nose from virus's. As you are pregnant you will have to check very carefully that ingredients are safe.
How do I know all this- lots of people with cancer out there still trying to protect themslves whilst getting on with life. Hope this helps and best wishes

You should wear the mask if you want to. It is no one else's business. I wore one to teach in for a lot longer than everyone else. Was not an issue. It didn't impact my teaching.

You have the right to do whatever you wish to protect yours and your babies health. The parent absolutely cannot dictate what you wear and you do not need to explain yourself if you don't want to.

I hope everything goes well for you.

I agree. Being unable to hear a teacher speak while wearing a mask may be an issue for some children.

YANBU. Very surprised at the responses. If you were teaching Reception I'd get it but a secondary aged child can cope with their teacher who they only see for four hours a week wearing a mask! What an overreaction!

Unless you're wearing a Hazmat suit, it's not going to have any benefit really.

I'm sure you can teach in one.

I am originally from the US so used the word district to mean local council. Trying g to not give too much identifying info away. I am in the UK

So the parent could have said that her child struggles to understand the teacher in the class and ask for reasonable adjustments. She didn't. She said her child feels anxious (they don't as OP spoke to them already) and repeatedly demanded no mask.

My classroom does not have windows that open, all air is circulated via an air conditioning unit/ ventilation system. Makes a huge difference I know, especially with 33 teenagers in a class. That is why wearing FPP3 masks was accepted as a reasonable adjustments by my school. Been trying to do saline washes after work but had quite grim Morning sickness that is just easing up now so it sometimes set me off. Thanks for the tips

I’ve only read the first page, but please don’t be bullied into compromising your own safety. Of course decent face masks (FFP2 and FFP3 etc) protect you from Covid and other airborne viruses. Those who shout the loudest about how they’ve been “proven” not to work are the ones who wore baggy blues under their noses then claimed masks don’t work 🙄.

This parent doesn’t care in any way about your health. If they did, they would be coming up with other solutions to help keep you safe (e.g. HEPA filters in the classrooms, insisting windows are kept open, testing their child if there‘s any hint of a symptom). This is 100% about a parent hating the visual reminder that covid’s still very much here, it’s still causing a lot of (long-term) damage and there are still people out there who haven’t given up on protecting themselves, their families and their communities. If they want to do nothing to help the situation, then that’s their choice. But please don’t let them drag you down with them ❤️.

Interesting everyone saying masks do nothing. When teaching at start of covid all of us remarked how nice it was not to catch the dozen or so illnesses before Christmas that we normally caught. Maybe our masks were woven with magical thread.One of the rubbish things about teaching, the many rubbish things, is children being sent in ill and us catching everything.