To Mask or Not to Mask? US Divided on How to Reopen Schools

 

Schools and educators across the United States are in the middle of a debate over how best to reopen schools.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines to assist school systems in reopening safely. The suggestions include face coverings, or masks, and social distancing rules.

Some parents object to both ideas. They want schools to operate just as they did before COVID-19. Others are calling for part-time school and face coverings for everyone.

An anti-mask petition

Kim Sherman is a mother of three in the city of Clovis, California. "Don't tell me my kid has to wear a mask," she said. Sherman said she is conservative and supports President Donald Trump¹.

Trump, a Republican, has called on schools across the country to fully² reopen. He threatened to withhold³ federal money from school systems that do not return to in-person classes in the fall. He has accused Democrats⁴ of wanting to keep schools closed for political, not health, reasons.

Some parents have threatened to withdraw their children from school if masks are required.

Hillary Salway is a mother of three in Orange County, California. She is part of a group calling for schools to fully open with "normal social interaction." If the school system requires masks for her son's kindergarten class, she said, "I don't know if my son will be...in the public school system this fall."

Salway started a petition last month urging the area's school system to "keep facial expressions visually available." And she helped organize a protest of more than 100 people outside the school system's headquarters.

Other parents have expressed similar opinions in Orange County Board of Education meetings. The five-member, elected group supports a full return to school without masks or social distancing. Supporters argue that face coverings are ineffective and give a false sense of security.

'I just want us to take precautions'

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, however, has ordered Californians to wear masks in public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says masks may help prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others. It has urged students and teachers to wear them, especially when social distancing is not possible.

Brooke Aston Harper, a parent in Orange County, attended an especially lively school board meeting recently. She described what she heard from some speakers there as "horrifying⁵." She said they were forcing what she called "small worldview" on others.

"I'm not looking for a fight, I just want us to take precautions," said Harper, whose two children are age four and six. She also started a petition. It calls on schools to follow state guidelines that include masks for teachers and students, social distancing rules and other measures.

"For each school board, the question is going to be: What does our community want, and who is the loudest?" she said.

Some parents, educators and doctors argue that there are social, educational and emotional costs to children who do not go to school. They say those costs may be greater than the risk of the virus itself.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has provided guidelines supporting in-person school to avoid social isolation⁶ and depression in students. But it said science, not politics, must guide decisions where the coronavirus is spreading.

Teachers worry

Texas is a current "hot spot" for COVID-19 infections. Its Republican governor Greg Abbott and Texan education leaders say it is safe to open schools in August. Abbott's government has not released COVID-19 safety guidelines for reopening. It has said masks are a decision for local officials.

Stacey Pugh is a fifth-grade teacher near Houston, Texas. She hopes her school system will order students to wear masks. She said she will wear a mask and a shield - a large, piece of clear hard, plastic that hangs in front of the face. "...I'm even considering getting some type of body covering to wear," she added.

The Texas American Federation⁷ of Teachers has demanded guidelines. President Zeph Capo said: "We won't sacrifice our members and students for politics."

New York City and Los Angeles, California operate the two largest school systems in America. Both cities are led by Democratic mayors. Officials in those cities say their schools cannot fully reopen.

New York City officials say schools there will likely combine in-person and distance learning. In Los Angeles, school officials announced Monday that students will start the term with online classes from home. Other California cities, including San Diego and Oakland, also say their schools will stay closed.

"A 10-year-old student might have a 30-year-old teacher, a 50-year-old bus driver, or live with a 70-year-old grandmother. All need to be protected," said Los Angeles schools' chief Austin Beutner. He said public health safety demands the schools avoid becoming infection centers.

Besides masks, the CDC has advised schools to seat students at a safe distance apart in classrooms and eat meals there instead of in larger shared rooms.

Some people in small, rural communities argue they should not have to follow the same rules as people in big cities, where infection rates are higher.

Craig Guensler leads the Wheatland School District, a system of four schools in California's Yuba County. He said that Wheatland already has spent $25,000 on physical barriers for classrooms.

Eighty-five percent of parents who answered a Wheatland opinion study said they want their children in school full time. Officials will space out desks as much as possible. But, they still expect up to 28 students in each classroom, Guensler said.

I'm Caty Weaver⁸. And I'm --------------------Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

petition –n. an official document of request

kindergarten –n. a school or class for children usually from four to six years old

visually –adv. of, relating to, or used in vision

worldview –n. the way someone thinks about the world

precaution –n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble from happening in the future

isolation –n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others : the condition of being isolated⁹

hot spot –n. a place of more than usual interest, activity, or popularity

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。