Written by Jonathan Du Fault
California’s social distancing protocols for K-12 are coming to an end but mask mandates will still be in full effect. As parents voiced their anger against the protocols set in place for the 2021-2022 school year, the state announced softer regulations.
California school boards were also worried classrooms would not be able to accommodate all students with social distancing. Students will be returning to the classroom full-time for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Masks will still be required for all students indoors unless a student has a medical exemption.
Masks best promote both safety and in-person learning by reducing the need for physical distancing,” the California Department of Public Health said in its updated guidelines.
Although distancing protocols will no longer be in place in the classroom, distancing will be required in cafeterias and gymnasiums or other large gathering situations.
All students will still be required to wear a mask at all times when indoors. This includes students who have received the vaccination. Students who receive a special exemption from masks will still be required to wear a face shield with a covering at the bottom.
While the rest of the state is free from masks and social distancing the state will still require the children and school-aged kids to mask up.
Many parents and teachers are still upset with these new and overbearing regulations.
“I think it is unnecessary completely,” Vista Unified English teacher Megan Bagshaw said. “It hinders their learning. It hinders their communication. It’s also unsanitary from everything I have seen.”
Keeping the mask mandates for children and teenagers also does not follow the science. As the COVID vaccines are administered to the younger population, they are still unable to go back to a normal lifestyle.
“It’s very unfortunate that they keep not following the science and keep not doing what is right for kids unless a judge makes them do that”, Mckeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe, said on Tuesday after the CDPH issued its new guidelines.
State health officials said their decision to mandate all children to wear masks in schools, despite new CDC guidelines saying vaccinated students can go maskless amid proper physical distancing, ensures everyone— regardless of vaccination status — is treated equally.
The Let Them Breathe foundation has already announced plans to sue the state over the mask mandates on school campuses. The foundation claims the mandates will do more harm than good and this is a vital time in a child’s life. During this time a child learns to communicate and work with people. Children with disabilities are also put at a disadvantage. A child with a hearing impediment is unable to learn how to read lips and communicate with others around them.
The state has said that it is not about keeping the kids safe from the virus. Their first concern is about achieving “equality,” not health. They are more concerned about gaining and keeping control than the health and well-being of a child.
It should be left to the parents to decide if a child should wear a face covering, not the state.
