Denied Education for wearing a face mask

[Sumh]

I’m on the NHS extremely vulnerable shielding category. My 12 year old daughter is attending state secondary school. She is being denied to enter her classroom because she chooses to wear a plain cloth face mask. She has been left outside the class on her own with little provided worksheets to work on her own but no directed teaching.

The DfE ‘guidance’ on face coverings in education August 26 to schools highlights it’s just a ‘guidance’ and not mandatory, that it is not necessary/recommended/ to wear face mask because it may hinder communication by wearing face masks in education,

“ On the basis of current evidence, in light of the mitigating measures education settings are taking, and the negative impact on communication, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom even where social distancing is not possible. There is greater use of the system of controls for minimising risk, including through keeping in small and consistent groups or bubbles, and greater scope for physical distancing by staff within classrooms. Face coverings can have a negative impact on learning and teaching and so their use in the classroom should be avoided.”

but then fines of not wearing face masks in other settings are doubling, retail business staff now have to wear face masks, a legislation is in place enforcing wearing of face mask above the age of 11 in certain settings and plus the booth were cabinet ministers stand and give press briefing has 3 pictures, one is a face mask. All of this is an implied message to the public of how important it is to wear a face mask.

With all this message including WHOs recommendation that all 12 years plus should wear face mask, is it right that a U.K. state school should be denying a child from her right to education on a not mandatory guidance for simply taking extra precaution?

Both myself and my daughter do not go out without wearing a face mask which we have been doing so since March 2020 and she herself strongly agrees to wear one in school at all times for my safety. Having spoken to the senior managers and informing them of my NHS letter of previously shielding the school are still refusing, replying to me “it could open a floodgate!” but are they not digging a hole for them by denying a child education!

This guidance states for example when if it is mandatory to wear a face mask in school like corridors and communal areas but a child refuses to wear a face mask, then no one should be excluded from education for not wearing a face mask.

My child wants to wear one for hers and my safety without affecting anyone else’s liberty and yet she is being excluded from education.

Your thoughts will be appreciated.

As an aside. I'm a teacher in Ireland. Its mandatory for all students and staff to wear masks and it's fine.we teach, they learn.

I don’t think it is a good policy for the school. Could they be sued if there was an outbreak and someone got infected who was prevented from wearing a mask?

The govt do not mandate the people do not wear masks in class. Why should the school have such a restrictive policy?

I think that's appalling of the school. If anyone in any setting wants to wear a face mask at the moment they should be able to do so. There are benefits to wearing masks for the wearer.

Have you considered complaining to the governors and/or the LEA. I am shocked they are taking this stance and depriving your child of an education over a face mask!

@Namenic

I don’t think it is a good policy for the school. Could they be sued if there was an outbreak and someone got infected who was prevented from wearing a mask?

The govt do not mandate the people do not wear masks in class. Why should the school have such a restrictive policy?

Very good point. Maybe you should ask them to check with their solicitors what their liability might be should a parent or child contract covid after they were not permitted to wear a mask. That might get things moving for you!

OP you need to look up your school's complaints procedure and follow the process for a formal complaint. Even if masks did not offer any protection to the wearer - which isn't the case, there is mounting evidence that they reduce the risk to some extent - the school should be taking account of your daughter's not unreasonable anxiety and make adjustments to help her feel comfortable at school.

I'm sure they will change their tune once you go formal as it's not defensible.

All this crap about "it's up to school to make whatever rules they like" is outdated, schools are expected to show flexibility for individual circumstances and special needs where it's reasonable to do so.

Will be following through the hierarchy one step at a time but can’t believe I’m having to do this in the system of ‘Every Child Matters’.
Gov knows it could bring huge conflicts between parents and itself so it carefully chose non enforcing words in its guidance to schools such as ‘may’ ‘not necessary’ ‘should be avoided’ etc and so far as they understand it according to medical experts.

Not surprising I have directly spoken to over 14 schools in just 2 days in and out side my county and they are all allowing face masks in class on voluntary basis. I can’t believe my bad luck for living in catchment area where someone’s unreasonable view is putting vulnerable households at risk.
Almost all of the legal people I have contacted so far have confirmed to me school is on dodgy grounds. They all suggested to exhaust the procedure first and then come to them with the schools written responses.

However, there is a lot of ignorance on this thread. Disposable and non surgical masks, do NOT protect the wearer

I have to agree with your first statement. Yet again, this study disagrees with your second statement. "The study found: Cloth face coverings are effective in protecting the wearer and those around them."

To those of you who keep repeating that disposable and cloth face masks provide NO protection to the wearer: point us to some reputable science supporting that statement.

I've shown you mine, now you show me yours.

The study found: Cloth face coverings are effective in protecting the wearer and those around them.

That's good to know. I did my research a few weeks ago, so it is clearly out of date.

The trouble is that we see people wearing the mask under their nose, under their chin, taking it off, putting it on, rubbing it, touching it etc.
Then there is the question of how long they are wearing it, how often it is changed, how often is it washed.
I completely agree with using masks, but they do have to be worn correctly, and changed appropriately.

Bizarre of the school. Certainly he disposable surgical masks do give the wearer some protection. And a child of a shielding parent is likely to be motivated to wear it properly.

@Ohalrightthen

Two things...

A) your daughter wearing a mask in school does jack shit to protect you

B) if they let her wear a mask (especially because there's no science backing it up) they'd have to let all the other kids wear masks, which would make teaching and controlling a class practically impossible.

Sorry, but as a teacher in a school that is encouraging mask wearing, that's simply untrue. Students wearing face masks makes no difference WRT controlling a class.

Despite what some people seem to think "the science" says, wearing a mask is likely to offer the wearer some protection, particularly if they are directly exposed to droplets (i.e. students coughing and sneezing). I actually think it's pretty unacceptable that the school is not allowing her to wear a mask in lessons BUT I'm not sure what you can do about it.

I would actually withdraw her from school, not because you are in the wrong but because any school with this attitude won't be keeping students safe from Covid in other ways, too.

“Did early focus on hand washing and not masks aid spread of Covid-19?“ - Guardian Headline

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/05/did-early-focus-on-hand-washing-and-not-masks-aid-spread-of-covid-19-coronavirus?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Our decision to value face masks effectiveness from the outset was derived from the word within the official name: ‘Respiratory’

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - Covid-19

Hand washing, distance is all part of essential common sense precautions BUT breathing out/coughing/sneezing uses force to exhale where the other two does not. Face Masks is the KEY tool to fight this virus until a safe vaccine arrives.

Sumh why are you posting all of these links? I dont think anyone on this thread has said that

masks arent a key tool (whether they are THE key tool is a good discussion but not for this thread)
or the school have on the face of it made an odd decision

So what are you hoping to gain. A few posters have made valid points about what you are putting on your daughter and your approach that you just arent answering.

can you pls elaborate your last paragraph sentence?

@Sumh that sending through article after article on mask wearing isnt going to help that isnt what is being discussed here.

If you are communicating with the school by sending them such articles it is not going to help.

What communication did you have with the school about this and how to handle. Did you for example ask for a SD desk for her etc.

Face Masks is the KEY tool to fight this virus until a safe vaccine arrives.

God, it really isn't - at least not just as you state it, baldly.

Face masks, of varying quality & worn effectively & with appropriate hand hygiene associated are useful tools to limit infection transmission.

Those caveats are essential.

Even the links you posted up thread state that.

Just 'mask wearing' isn't sufficient. (I'm in Ireland, btw, where it is mandatory to wear masks, including at secondary school and almost everyone does. It's incredibly rare to see anyone without a mask on. So I'm pro-mask wearing!)

It's the transmission that's essential to focus on. The masks will limit droplet transmission but if worn incorrectly, or taken off without hand hygiene being practised (which I'd say is near universal) the virus is easily transmitted.

None of this takes away from the school's poor handling of this.

But your posts are alarmingly devoid of attention to the wider context & bordering on obsessive, with regard to masks, so no wonder you've created such anxiety in your child, sadly.

[quote Quartz2208]@Sumh that sending through article after article on mask wearing isnt going to help that isnt what is being discussed here.

If you are communicating with the school by sending them such articles it is not going to help.

What communication did you have with the school about this and how to handle. Did you for example ask for a SD desk for her etc.[/quote]
Exactly this from @Quartz2208

Quartz2208 where did I say I am communicating with the school via newspaper articles? Phone calls then they sent a letter and replied to their letter.

and for someone posting for the very first time on forums I have realised some people don’t read posts carefully!!

E&Lipstick, I said hand washing and distancing is ‘essential’ but face masks is more important, it’s the ‘key’. I didn’t say masks is the ‘only’ tool!

And couple of you others even failed to read and understand when I said “she came to me”, and you lot came to the conclusion that I let her suffer with anxiety. How do you know that I didn’t try to reassure her? Why do you think we sent her to school if we didn’t reassure her that she will not be responsible for harm to us? Are you a better parent to my child than I am?

You don’t put masks to high value that’s your place but we do and my daughter wearing masks is not suffocating you or anyone else. Go back and read my first post and you see that my intention was to to discuss about denied education but most started to talk about viability of face masks. As such I posted this article to explain why we value masks so much. You may be seasoned writers on this forum but you are not anyone’s mum so stop acting like one.

What’s the difference between wearing a face mask which covers the face and wearing religions dress which covers the face. The face is still covered. What’s the big problem?
Would the school send someone out the class for wearing a burka? No, so why a face mask? This is rediculous!
Surely to wear or not to wear is a personal choice and the school needs to get over itself.

Do you actually read anyone's posts @Sumh ?

You don’t put masks to high value that’s your place

I clearly said that I do wear a mask, as does my 13yo to school as we're in Ireland.

I'm commenting on your skewed understanding of science which doesn't address the issue you posted about.

Also, you DID say this, and that's what I commented on:

Face Masks is the KEY tool to fight this virus until a safe vaccine arrives.

This is incorrect, as it stands, hence my post. Maybe you'd like to read it this time & stop with your sneery swipes at people? Like this one:
You may be seasoned writers on this forum but you are not anyone’s mum so stop acting like one.