Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?

573 replies

countryroses · 22/08/2020 11:57

Why not ?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
Piggywaspushed · 24/08/2020 20:25

I am sorry as an English teacher, your username is making my eyeball twitch....

Original poster
countryroses · 24/08/2020 20:55

In case we forget some of the ordinary stories

Let’s hope government is right and in this mighty Sep reopening there are no longer ordinary people falling very sick with covid.

OP posts:
BooseysMom · 24/08/2020 21:08

The fact of the matter is, if you want to 100% avoid getting covid, you have to stay at home and have contact with nobody. If you go out in the world and interact with other people, there is a risk, unless you wear a full hazmat suit with piped air at all times.

Exactly this.

SaltyAndFresh · 24/08/2020 21:24

@BooseysMom

The fact of the matter is, if you want to 100% avoid getting covid, you have to stay at home and have contact with nobody. If you go out in the world and interact with other people, there is a risk, unless you wear a full hazmat suit with piped air at all times.

Exactly this.

Yes but you don't invite it with the sort of conditions we'll face in packed schools.
notevenat20 · 24/08/2020 21:31

I just went to a large packed two floor cafe. The only rule was that not too many people should queue crammed together for the loo. It seems weird to be scared of opening schools when normal life has more or less resumed.

mrshoho · 24/08/2020 21:32

@notevenat20

I just went to a large packed two floor cafe. The only rule was that not too many people should queue crammed together for the loo. It seems weird to be scared of opening schools when normal life has more or less resumed.
What cafe was that?
RaspberryRuff · 24/08/2020 21:58

@notevenat20

I just went to a large packed two floor cafe. The only rule was that not too many people should queue crammed together for the loo. It seems weird to be scared of opening schools when normal life has more or less resumed.
I wouldn’t go somewhere like that, I would leave. Kids don’t have a choice about school
1dayatatime · 24/08/2020 23:51

The concern from parents as I see it is not so much about children in schools catching the virus but more about them bringing that virus home and infecting the parents or resident grand parents etc.

So rather than enforce the wearing of masks whilst in school why not enforce the wearing of masks by parents in their own home when their children come back from school. This would also avoid the discomfort to the children and also not impact their learning at school.

onedayinthefuture · 25/08/2020 07:57

It's cruel to make kids wear masks in schools. Let's not forget a lot of teenagers will be lax about washing their reusable ones and acne will become even worse (and that's a huge problem for many teenagers that doesn't need to be made worse).

SaltyAndFresh · 25/08/2020 08:03

So rather than enforce the wearing of masks whilst in school why not enforce the wearing of masks by parents in their own home when their children come back from school. This would also avoid the discomfort to the children and also not impact their learning at school.

What assurances would school staff have that this was happening?

SaltyAndFresh · 25/08/2020 08:04

@onedayinthefuture

It's cruel to make kids wear masks in schools. Let's not forget a lot of teenagers will be lax about washing their reusable ones and acne will become even worse (and that's a huge problem for many teenagers that doesn't need to be made worse).
They will also be lax about washing their hands.

This is why a blended or home learning model would be useful IMO. If you don't want to comply, don't attend school.

Oblomov20 · 25/08/2020 08:14

I don't agree with masks in schools. I wear a mask when I have to, when I go food shopping. I don't wear one at work. I'd hate to, I find them uncomfortable. I don't wish for ds's to wear them when they return to secondary next week.

1dayatatime · 25/08/2020 08:20

@SaltyAndFresh

What assurances would school staff have that this was happening?

One would expect/ think / hope that as responsible parents and adults they would comply especially driven the alternative of their children wearing a mask in school for many hours a day.

In addition I genuinely think in Scotland an increasing number of pupils especially stroppy teenagers will take them off in class claiming they are are uncomfortable or suffocating - what happens then? Exclude them?

MarshaBradyo · 25/08/2020 08:22

Using them in corridors sounds reasonable but taking them off and on sounds problematic.

MarshaBradyo · 25/08/2020 08:23

I’m also not convinced on long term mad wearing. 30 minutes in a shop or on pt makes more sense.

SaltyAndFresh · 25/08/2020 08:25

[quote 1dayatatime]@SaltyAndFresh

What assurances would school staff have that this was happening?

One would expect/ think / hope that as responsible parents and adults they would comply especially driven the alternative of their children wearing a mask in school for many hours a day.

In addition I genuinely think in Scotland an increasing number of pupils especially stroppy teenagers will take them off in class claiming they are are uncomfortable or suffocating - what happens then? Exclude them?[/quote]
I highly doubt it given the levels of denial.

Well yes actually. If they can't comply simply because they're stroppy (and not becsuse they have a relevant medical reason or SEN) they shouldn't be in school).

Piggywaspushed · 25/08/2020 08:25

Shall we wait and see what the Scottish teenagers do?

Is it only in the UK where we assume young people can't or won't do things? And, anyway, at the moment, they will be taking them off in class.

SaltyAndFresh · 25/08/2020 08:27

Are we heading back into the realms of 'I insist that schools stay fully open but I won't accept any preventative measure to give them a fighting chance of doing so'?

motherrunner · 25/08/2020 08:28

Sounds like it @SaltyAndFresh. We’re back to the ‘bubble’ will protect us all and children can’t catch or transmit it.

MazDazzle · 25/08/2020 08:30

I teach in a secondary in Scotland, so we’ve been back for two weeks now. Masks are optional for pupils and teachers. All desks are facing the front and teachers must socially distance from each other and pupils. Each pupil wipes down their own desk and chair with sanitiser when the come in and when they leave. There’s hand sanitiser at every entrance to the building and every class. We’ve staggered break and lunch so that pupils aren’t all out at the same time. We no longer use bells and have a soft finish/start time so there’s no rushing between classes. So far, everyone has been following these steps.

Getting the best out of 30 teenagers Is challenging at the best of times. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to do it with a mask on.

Oldbutstillgotit · 25/08/2020 08:40

I spoke to DGS 14 last night about wearing a mask ( we are in Scotland ) as pupils at his school have been told to wear them in corridors and places where they can’t SD. He said he was “ cool “ about it but a lot of the girls are upset as it will ruin their make up ! His words .

Piggywaspushed · 25/08/2020 08:42

Such a fan of no bells.

InDeoEstMeaFiducia · 25/08/2020 08:47

@Oldbutstillgotit

I spoke to DGS 14 last night about wearing a mask ( we are in Scotland ) as pupils at his school have been told to wear them in corridors and places where they can’t SD. He said he was “ cool “ about it but a lot of the girls are upset as it will ruin their make up ! His words .
I have one that age. Thing is, they put them on in corridors and then whip them off, they have to take them off to eat. It's known that taking them on and off cuts their effectiveness. They also put them in rucksacks full of stuff as the lockers are shut. I imagine quite a few forget to take them out and get a clean one daily. So it all becomes just a visual exercise to be seen to be doing something.

A lot of people like to sneer at teens for vanity, but I found wearing them caused my acne to come back. A lot of teens struggle with acne and it can be extremely severe in some teens and even drive them to depression. Using something that exacerbates it could be very hard for some (but here come the 'but the virus kills! what's a little depression and bad skin (I had actual scars from acne and had to have a number of expensive procedures to get rid of the scars, thankfully I could afford them)?).

SaltyAndFresh · 25/08/2020 08:50

It will cause my skin to flare up too. I agree that it might well just turn out to be window-dressing if we can't get them to wear them responsibly, but at least we'd have tried.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 25/08/2020 08:50

Local secondary to me (England) have said they can wear them if they wish. They've then gone on to say they must be black & they must have thin elastic style straps that must also be black. If any of this isn't met it'll follow the uniform policy of one warning then a detention Hmm. I don't disagree with uniform policies for the most part but that, to me, is ridiculous. Why not just say no scary face style, plain fabric if possible or only lightly patterned.