Nearly 40% of Georgia public school students attend class while wearing a mask

According to the Associated Press, more than 38% of public school students in Georgia must wear masks to school. Like most states in the United States, Georgia refuses to require schools to wear masks statewide, but instead allows local agencies to decide whether they need to wear masks.

The recent rapid spread of COVID-19 Delta variants has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend that everyone in schools wear masks in high-spread areas such as Georgia. According to the Associated Press, nearly 40% of students in Georgia are required to wear masks, and they are located in at least 28 of the more than 180 areas in the state that have indeed decided to enforce it.

Some areas that choose not to require masks, such as Henry County, which has 43,000 students, still state that they “strongly recommend” masks.

For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below:

As Tussahaw Elementary School in Henry County begins the new school year this week, a tearful mother leads kindergarten children who are dwarfed by backpacks and buses, as well as fifth-grade students who look forward to ruling the school. The biggest clue to the lingering COVID-19 crisis is the masks worn by students and teachers—but not all.

On Wednesday, many parents in this suburb of southern Atlanta had different views on this policy. Some people disagree and leave their children at home. Others let their children wear face masks to class.

Shatavia Dorsey, the mother of a kindergarten student and fifth grader, said her children will wear masks in school regardless of the regulations.

Dorsey said: “They didn’t get the vaccine because they were too young. I don’t know if anyone else brought it in,” Dorsey said. He asked whether the school system could sustain face-to-face teaching despite the increasing number of infections. Doubts his ability.

Educators have to face Some parents and political leaders strongly resist wearing masks. Some people believe that the mask regulations violate the parents’ right to make decisions about their children’s health.

The states of California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington intend to require all students and teachers to wear masks, regardless of vaccinations. On the other hand, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have banned public schools from wearing masks.

Republican governor Ron DeSantis Florida stated on Thursday that the decision whether to wear masks in schools should be made by parents, adding: “What are the harmful effects of letting kindergarten children wear masks for seven hours? Have they ever talked about emotional, academic, or physical aspects? Question?”? Why not CDC Study that? “

The epidemic that hit schools earlier this year has increased calls for more masks.

In Marion, Arkansas, More than 800 students, faculty and staff were quarantined due to contact Since classes started last week in an area with 4,000 students. Superintendent Glen Fenter urged lawmakers to overturn state laws that prohibit wearing masks.

He said: “If these conditions recur across the state after two weeks of schooling, our state will fall into a full-blown crisis.”

The proposal to allow schools to wear masks was strongly opposed Republicans, The legislative leaders said they have no right to vote.

From the start of the pandemic to the peak of infection in January, CDC data shows that children 15 years and younger have the lowest infection rate. However, the infection rate among school-age children is now higher than that of adults aged 50 and over.

In the two weeks ending July 28, Henry County recorded 111 cases of COVID-19 among children aged 5 to 17. Its per capita incidence rate is one of the highest in Georgia, which is higher than the national figure.

Henry County Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis said she believes the school has learned how to prevent transmission, citing increased cleaning, air filtration and the use of hand sanitizer. The school district also provided a bonus of $1,000 to its 6,000 employees for vaccinations.

“We strongly recommend that individuals choose to wear a mask as an additional preventive measure, but we know a lot more today than a year ago,” Davis said, with the label “I am vaccinated.” “And what we know today is that schools are not a catalyst for community transmission.”

At Tussahaw Elementary School, more than 60% of the students in the four classrooms visited by a reporter on Wednesday were wearing masks, although some students had already taken them off. In only one room, the teacher did not wear a mask, and most of the students did not wear a mask.

What Tussahaw’s parents really want is some normalcy-to end trying to help children at home with virtual learning, or to ride a bicycle between face-to-face school and isolation.

“We weathered the storm, but it’s much better to go back to the classroom,” Bryant Teaguen said after sending his son to the first day of fifth grade. He said he thinks the school system should require masks-“at least until the number of cases decreases.”

Daniel Denny sent his two children to Tussahaw with masks, but he said that the masks should be decided by the parents.

“For him,” he said. “How do you choose to take care of your family.”

The parents of two middle school students, Kimberly Vining, strongly support this policy, saying it will make it easier for children with asthma or anxiety about wearing masks.

She said: “I have faith in God and I will not live in fear of a virus with a 98% survival rate.”

Overall, 90% of Henry County students return in person, while 10% choose full virtual teaching or a combination of the two.

Holley Freeman’s 8-year-old daughter Kalani is a student, and she will stay at home for virtual learning. Freeman said that her family has health problems and it would be unsafe for her daughter to go to school if there is no requirement to wear masks.

“I’m really frustrated, we don’t have a safe choice,” Freeman said. “I feel very sad that our community betrayed us.”

She said it was difficult for her daughter to accept the news: “She cried all the way home, crying all night, and cried this morning, knowing that she must go online again.”