CA Says Students Must Mask Up At School; Patch Readers Weigh In

CALIFORNIA — The Golden State announced last week that it will require all K-12 students to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status through the fall.

California's new masking rules for students are tougher than those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionjust hours before. Those federal guidelines outline that students and teachers can forgo masks if they have been vaccinated. The CDC further recommended that schools keep 3 feet of distance between students inside classrooms.

In a recent non-scientific survey, we asked readers whether they thought students should be required to wear masks at all while at school. More than 61 percent said "no," 35.2 percent said "yes" and just 3.7 percent were unsure.

The poll — which drew over 7,912 responses — is not meant to be a scientific poll but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment. Out of all respondents, 65.9 percent of them said they have a child that attends a public school in California, while 34.1 percent said they did not.

California officials opted to lean away from social distancing requirements on school campuses "due to the obstacles it would present to California schools’ full reopening."

We asked readers: If 3 feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained in the classroom, should masks then be required?

• 44.5 percent No, students shouldn't be required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.
• 31.7 percent Yes, all students should wear masks.
• 16.3 percent Yes, but masks should only be required for students who have not been vaccinated.
• 7.5 percent Not sure

To date, only Californians 12 years of age or older can be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

We asked readers: Do you think vaccines should be required among students 12 and up at public schools?

• 54.8 percent said "no"
• 38.4 percent said "yes"
• 6.8 percent were unsure.

Officials said students' return to in-person instruction is a priority, but the move to keep masks is much more cautious than in many other states.

"Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with offering full in-person instruction," Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a statement. "At the outset of the new year, students should be able to walk into school without worrying about whether they will feel different or singled out for being vaccinated or unvaccinated — treating all kids the same will support a calm and supportive school environment."

We asked Patch readers to share their thoughts on the matter:

All of us should get vaccinated to protect not only ourselves but our fellow Americans. My kids are both vaccinated and we don't wear masks now. I feel totally safe and don't think they should have to wear masks during indoor classroom instruction.

I think masks she remain mandatory for everyone, even those vaccinated until this virus is no longer an issue.

No masks, no distancing, no vaccinations required. Enough is enough. It is becoming a hindrance to education and childhood — a form of abuse.

It's bad enough that kids under 12 have no vaccines yet available to them. So yes, absolutely they should be forced to wear masks as well as stay 3 feet apart.

Require vaccination if a kid can’t be vaccinated, then they must wear a mask.

The vaccine has proven to be safe and very effective. If kids are vaccinated there is no reason they should have to wear a mask at school.

No masks. Let’s get back to educating.

My youngest son is now entering Grad School, but if he and my daughter were younger, I don't think it would be fair or comfortable for them to wear a mask all day. I think vaccination is the key component.

I’ve been working in the classroom for the past 20 years and last year was so stressful to take away the masks right now is unacceptable. There needs to be a reminder that there are not only children involved but the staff and the parents of the students. Masks must be mandated.

Even the slightest risk is unnecessary. We have kids, teachers,staff who have family members getting chemo and other serious illnesses. It’s not worth risking making healthy people sick and sick people sicker.

The news comes as the delta variant raises concern across the U.S. and the Golden State. The mutation is more transmissible and leaves those who are unvaccinated vulnerable to serious illness.

The highly contagious strain accounted for almost 36 percent of the coronavirus cases detected in June — a huge uptick from 5.6 percent sequenced in May, according to data from the state. The rising case numbers threatened the Golden State's progress in ending the pandemic and posed a risk for those who are unvaccinated.

Dr. Tomás Aragón, the state's public health officer, said he expected delta cases to keep rising.

"We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and its variants across our state. COVID-19 has not gone away. If you are not vaccinated, you are still at risk," he said in a statement on Friday.

READ MORE: Delta Variant Now Dominant In CA, New Data Shows