It’s time for schools to end mask mandates | Opinion
A group of first graders, wearing face masks, form a line to go back to class after recess at Jose "Joe" May Elementary School in Dallas, on Oct. 26, 2021. The editorial board writes that it's time for the last mandate holdouts to end.Since Gov.
But as has been the case throughout this pandemic, the situation is changing. Cases of COVID-19 are falling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seven-day average number of cases nationwide has dropped by almost 64% in the past three weeks. In Texas, cases have dropped by 61% in that time. The seven-day average of COVID-related deaths in Texas has fallen 41% since the delta-driven peak of September 2021, and 48% since the pandemic’s highest peak a year ago.
And while infection rates are waning, we’re growing more and more concerned about the staggering amount of pandemic-fueled learning loss in schools, and the threat to mental health for students who have been isolated from human contact behind masks or computer screens for two years. As early as April 2020, the CDC was reporting a “significant increase in pediatric mental health-related emergency room visits,” according to reporting by. A June 2020 study by America’s Promise Alliance revealed that 30% of young people said they were feeling unhappy or depressed more often. Though masks may be a small factor in our continuing isolation, they aren’t helping.
One important factor for Texas schools to keep in mind is the sizable portion of students who are English language learners and the disadvantage masking might well present for learning a language. That’s to say nothing of the importance of nonverbal communication that masks hinder and that are integral to human contact and understanding. Children developing social skills especially need these signals that deepen and enrich our connections.
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