Masking in schools

Have conversations with students that are not fear based. It is important for adults to keep their own emotions neutral when talking to students about changes in COVID-19 safety policies. Stick to the facts with students and allow them space to draw their own conclusions. We need to be honest with teens that in California, we are in a much different situation with COVID-19 than we were two years ago. We need to let students know that we have a lot of new information about COVID-19 because the science has progressed. Our communities are moving toward protecting high risk individuals instead of focusing on the community as a whole. Explain to them that this is a huge victory and new mask policies are a result of the community working hard together to get to this point.

Recognize that all students have different home situations. Throughout the pandemic we have seen that families have had different levels of comfort with COVID. Some students may come from a family who feels comfortable gathering or traveling, while other students may have an immunocompromised family member that they feel personally responsible for protecting. Both are valid life experiences and all students need to feel safe at school. It is too much of a burden for a teenager to feel that they are personally risking a family member’s life by going to school and being around other people. For any nervous students, suggest that they make an appointment with their primary care doctor to talk about their personal risk of getting COVID-19. For the most part, high school students are in a very low risk category.

Social emotional effects of students masking for two years. We will not know the developmental side effects of having faces covered at school for years to come. Currently, I am seeing a divide in comfort level with masks. Some students are ready to rip their masks off and never wear one again. Others have felt safe in school behind the mask hiding their faces. I have heard the term “catfishing” used in this situation. Students feel like if they take their mask off with friends their friends might say they “catfished” them and are not the person they expected them to be. School support staff need to be ready to be able to handle cases where students are feeling more self conscious and do what we can to build their self esteem without a mask. It is going to take time and practice!

Pros and cons of mask options in schools. Implementing a mask optional policy in schools allows students, faculty and staff the ability to choose the amount of safety they want for themselves and gives flexibility. However, my concern is that judgment will be placed on people’s choices. We have to set up our students for success regardless of their choice, and I do not want to see an increase in mask bullying.

Regardless of what schools or individuals decide to do about wearing masks, remember to practice kindness. We don’t know everyone’s backgrounds, medical history or family situations. If anything, normalizing wearing a mask in the winter for cold and flu season could be a silver lining of the pandemic if we work together to care more about community health than personal comfort. Collectively, we have been through a lot since 2020 and everyone deserves grace during the transition away from wearing masks.

Claire Rietmann-Grout is a local high school administrator and coach. She is passionate about helping teenage girls maximize their potential by building their confidence and encouraging them to lead. In her spare time, she enjoys supporting women’s sports, playing golf with her husband and loving her cat, Arthur. She lives in Moss Beach. Go to clairerg.net for more information.