To be horrified at kids being 'labelled' like this ?

[espressotogo]

DD senior school age goes back tomorrow - no exemptions and she will be masked up as requested despite my absolute disgust at the policy. The school has asserted that children with exemptions will need to provide proof and will be made to wear a badge or lanyard to show their exemption on school property and transport.
AIBU to be horrified that children will be 'badged' like this - surely not wearing the mask is sufficient to show their exemption for a policy that is advisory and with zero proof of efficacy ?

@Fairylights25 what utter bullshit

I would also add I have a ds at a sen school where none of the children in his class wear masks and most of the teachers are unable to due to the children getting upset, anxious etc by them seeing the teachers in a mask, his class has been shut as have many others in the school, and he has been off having to isolate before Xmas as well due to an outbreak in his class/school. There are 7 children in his class 5 were off with symptoms/positive pcr.

Just not wearing a mask isnt sufficient.. but I do think requiring badges and lanyards is too much.. they should ask parents for letters then simply compile a list for the teachers to look at so they know which kids not to hassle about putting thier mask on etc
If they are actually going to realistically enforce this they do need to know which kids have genuine reason not to wear a mask. Just because you don't agree with it yourself doesnt mean the school can just be half arsed about it... they are required to do a reasonable job if enforcing it

@espressotogo

DD senior school age goes back tomorrow - no exemptions and she will be masked up as requested despite my absolute disgust at the policy. The school has asserted that children with exemptions will need to provide proof and will be made to wear a badge or lanyard to show their exemption on school property and transport. AIBU to be horrified that children will be 'badged' like this - surely not wearing the mask is sufficient to show their exemption for a policy that is advisory and with zero proof of efficacy ?

Don't be daft. It's not a little primary school where the teachers know the kids. Just come out and say you don't believe the science that masks reduce transmission. Rather than hiding behind some fake outrage and pretending to care about kids and teachers.

To be fair.
Not wearing a mask when everyone else is, is "badging" them.
The lanyard just means they have permission to not do so and prevents them having to explain it to numerous teachers over and over.
I couldn't get worked up over this,

@espressotogo

Ill informed whining

Explain how I am 'ill informed' ???

What's the problem with wearing a lanyard?

@Greenmarmalade

It will help teachers to know which students to remind and which to leave alone, to avoid harassing them with reminders all day.

Quite. DS just has a small sticker on his lanyard, it is not an issue at all. I'm not sure why some people see everything as such as fight.

ODFD

I agree with you OP.

@imip

My teen with ASD would be very upset to have to wear a badge/lanyard at school and I think a blanket policy like this would be unlawful. My teen can sometimes wear a mask, and cannot at other times. She has an EHCP, her teacher should know. She can carry an exemption card perhaps and bring it out on request, but she would feel that this would label her as different amongst her peers and wouldn’t want to draw attention.

she's going to look different if she's not wearing a mask....sorry but she is.

You can't possibly expect 100+ staff too all know who of the 1200+ pupils are exempt.
It is just easier if they can be identified visually.

@Greenmarmalade

It will help teachers to know which students to remind and which to leave alone, to avoid harassing them with reminders all day.

THIS !!!!

@espressotogo

Very interesting interview I heard last night OP.

In US the maks wearing in schools varies from school district to school district.
Some have been made to wear masks for months, others have never had to.
They are now analysing data from the different districts. Obviously taking into account rural v. urban etc they have found

1. in schools where kids wear masks, fewer kids have been off sick with Covid.
2. in schools where kids wear masks, there are fewer staff abscences due to Covid.
3. In the families of the kids in the schools where they are wearing masks, there are fewer cases of Covid.

Now I am not a fan of masks, but those figures were pretty compelling.

Do you have a link to the study ? Interesting that our government have not been able to evidence this

There's a lot of science coming out of the US on this

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249891

more about schools here

www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0924-school-masking.html

MY teenager went into school with a FFP2 mask today, he would much rather do that than be out of school because infection rates went up; he is also immunocompromised.

Mask wearing does make a difference. There are plenty of studies to prove it, but besides that common fucking sense tells you that wearing one helps to stop transmission.

Civic responsibility, innit.

Why are U.K. school children incapable of wearing a mask and wearing it properly. Other countries manage and many do not accept any exemptions

Ds already wears a badge on his jumper which states he is in the 100% club (yes there are other badges for high attendance if you have been off with Covid) so it isn't unusual in his school to already have a badge on their jumper. Mask exempt students are also being issued with a badge so that they aren't stopped by staff several times a day.

Staff need to identify who is flouting the rules and who is exempt. There are 1500 pupils in Ds's school, not all staff are in a teaching post, some are pastoral and only deal with a small number of students in their year groups, they cannot be expected to be able to recognise students who are exempt when on corridor duty.

I have to wear a mask at work . Anyone exempt has to wear a lanyard provided by the company as proof .

I was thinking about this - I was going to get my school to give us staff a list of students who are exempt- like the one we get for those with allergies.
It would help me not question those students who are exempt and then these students would not have to keep repeating that they are exempt!
Personally, if my child was exempt I would get them a (sunflower?) lanyard - some sts at my school have these already.
Also if they are not wearing masks then they already 'look different' - surely the lanyard just simplifies things for everybody including the students?

Precious

Oh get over it. You’re being ridiculous. Surely you get that secondary schools are full of rule bending teenagers. The lanyard is so teachers aren’t constantly asking those exempt to put their mask on. Not difficult to understand is it?

Mask wearing does make a difference. There are plenty of studies to prove it, but besides that common fucking sense tell you that wearing one helps to stop transmission.

Show me one ???

Are you really that daft? How is a member of staff supposed to distinguish between an exempt wearer and a non-exempt non-wearer? Of course there needs to be another means of identification other than no mask being visible so a lanyard or badge is necessary to assist in the process and maintain the required rules regarding mask wearing.
Why are children these days perceived to be so delicate by their parents these days that wearing a badge is going to affect them, surely it allows their peers to understand why they are without a mask and therefore they are less likely to be hassled and questioned about being mask free.

@espressotogo

Very interesting interview I heard last night OP.

In US the maks wearing in schools varies from school district to school district.
Some have been made to wear masks for months, others have never had to.
They are now analysing data from the different districts. Obviously taking into account rural v. urban etc they have found

1. in schools where kids wear masks, fewer kids have been off sick with Covid.
2. in schools where kids wear masks, there are fewer staff abscences due to Covid.
3. In the families of the kids in the schools where they are wearing masks, there are fewer cases of Covid.

Now I am not a fan of masks, but those figures were pretty compelling.

Do you have a link to the study ? Interesting that our government have not been able to evidence this

The government won’t because they’re being held by the balls aka the nut job backbench MPs on the conservative benches. Who think they know better than actual experts.

My ds is in secondary school and is happy to wear a mask. He’s been wearing it in class even without needing too - without any prompting from me or other adults. I’m glad he’s got a sensible head on his shoulders.

@espressotogo

In the wider world people also aren't being told they have to wear a particular tie, blazer etc. DS2's school has said mask now counts as part of the uniform, which they are super strict on, and will send kid home if they are not correctly dressed. They will have same attitude to not wearing a mask as not wearing a tie. So unless a kid wants to be stopped continuously and told to put on a mask - as they would be stopped continuously and told to put on a tie - they have to wear a lanyard. Now, I am not saying I agree with their attitude to uniform in the slightest. I don't. But it does show that schools are not the same as the wider world in general.

Since when have masks been part of uniform ???

Some secondary schools near me also have an iPad as part of the school uniform! Times change!