Mandatory mask-wearing is the growing sentiment of concerned parents

As the CDC updates its guidance for COVID-19 prevention, many parents are curious what their children’s school is planning on doing for the 2021-22 school year. 

58% of parents believe that masks should be mandatory for children while in school.

Schools are looking to their state legislators to ensure that necessary measures prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the schools. While many districts decided to mandate mask-wearing in school, at least nine states have enacted legislation prohibiting masks in schools.  Students and teachers in Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Vermont, are not allowed to force students or teachers to wear masks on school grounds.

Savanta reports that 51% of American parents say that masks are mandatory in their children’s school, with only 28% reporting masks as optional at their children’s school. Additionally, 7% of American parents report that their children’s schools do not require masks.  But, the CDC affirms that due to the highly contagious Delta variant, all students (age two and older), staff, teachers, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks indoors.

Although the district and state might have their legislation and perspective on COVID restrictions, 58% of parents believe that masks should be mandatory for children while in school, and 60% of parents believe that masks should be compulsory for teachers and staff while in school.  There are still 30% of parents that feel that masks should be optional for children, teachers, and staff while in school.  Only 11% of parents believe that schools should not require children to wear masks, and 10% think schools should not require teachers and staff members to wear masks.

More than half of the American population believe that masks should be mandatory, the growing consensus as different variants become more and more prevalent as we move on towards the start of the school year. However, there is still a large amount of the population that thinks that masks shouldn’t be mandatory. It looks like the future of the school year is undetermined for many, and further uncertain for the future of herd immunity.