Mark Figley: Insanity of masks at schools

With the end of summer comes the return to school. And although most students have the option to return without a mask, those attending Jefferson County Schools in Louisville (Ky.), San Diego, Sacramento, New Haven (Conn.), Philadelphia and Newark (N.J.) are among those facing mandatory masking.

This stubborn adherence to a fitted piece of worthless face fabric has repeatedly been shown to have no impact on COVID transmission, yet some school officials continue to maintain it does.

Despite the division and controversy that has been stirred surrounding this emotional issue, there is little disagreement that children who wear masks are more likely to be sad or depressed. Furthermore, the benefits to mask-wearing in preventing serious illness or death to children are infinitesimally small, with a survival rate of 99.99% among children who contract the virus. The fact is COVID remains less of a threat to children than accidents or the flu.

The long-term harm to kids from masking is still incomplete; however, it is a stressor that clearly disrupts learning. Masks reduce the ability to communicate with teachers and other students. More specifically, children lose the experience of mimicking expressions. Positive emotions such as laughing and smiling are less recognizable, and negative emotions are heightened. Student bonding is also negatively impacted.

Mandatory masking of children has become a selfish act in adult self-preservation. And when considering the negligible benefit of masks, the enormous harm done will be much more devastating over the course of time.

In Sweden, for instance, schools were not closed for COVID, and kids were not masked. Still, teachers there were at lower risk than the rest of the population.

Some U.S. schools have gone even further with COVID nonsense than by requiring masks. Washington, D.C., recently announced that kids 12 and up who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to physically return to school effective Jan. 3, 2023 (the date was pushed back from the beginning of the school year after a D.C. judge ruled that the city’s vaccine mandate was unlawful). This means that 40% of black teens will be forced to stay home, with virtual learning not being offered as an alternative. Meanwhile, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials seem quite comfortable with the disproportionate impact such a policy will have on minority and poor students. And not one civil rights organization has uttered a peep.

Not surprising is that the CDC continues to push the same bogus perception that masks still offer real protection, even as it is relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines and dropping the recommendations that people maintain at least 6 feet of distance or quarantine themselves if they come into contact with an infected person. Additionally, both the vaccinated and unvaccinated will be treated under the same framework. These policy changes are driven by the fact that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have achieved some level of immunity.

Many within the education establishment clearly didn’t receive the new CDC memo. They’re too busy listening to the discredited advice put out by Joe Biden and the soon to depart “Doctor Doom” Fauci on what passes as science at any particular moment. Plus, the powerful teacher unions have come to actually enjoy the ability to diminish education and personal growth for children since they have a leash on their close and dear friend “Aviator Joe.”

How long will the interests of our kids be cruelly sacrificed for the gratification of those with an evil, political agenda? Continued manipulation of COVID is further proof that elections indeed have consequences. For some, the ends justify the means, as previously-failed health actions are directed once more against America’s most vulnerable.

Militant teacher unions and the education establishment show no sign of ending this war against children or their parents. These antics will continue until a groundswell results in the elimination of such entities as the Department of Education, with a demand that schools return to the basics of education and the elimination of political indoctrination. And it can’t happen soon enough.

Mark Figley is a political activist and guest columnist from Elida. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.