DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO WEAR A MASK TO SCHOOL?? The Healthy American, Peggy Hall

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What does the “state guidance” mean for reopening public schools?

California Guidance for Schools and School-Based Program
https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf

Presented by Peggy Hall, MA
Former Director of Teacher Education, UC Irvine Extension

Summary: Parents, teachers, administrators and school boards have expressed the confusion over the state-recommended guidelines for opening up California.

This presentation (including video) clarifies the following issues:
(1) What is guidance?
(2) Are we required to follow this guidance?
(3) Are students and teachers required to wear masks?
(4) What about liability for the school?

PART ONE:
Clarifying the Language, and Reviewing the Basis for Recommendations

Page 1: “Guidance” means recommended actions. Guidance is not law. Recommendations are not legally enforceable by law. That means the state’s “Guidance for Schools and School-Based Programs” is just that: guidance, not law.

2. “Implementation of this guidance should be tailored for each setting, including adequate consideration of instructional programs operating at each school site and the needs of students and families.” This sentence explains that there is leeway in implementing the guidance, based on the unique needs of each school setting. It is NOT one-size fits all.

3. “School leaders should engage relevant stakeholders—including families, staff and labor partners in the school community—to formulate and implement plans.”

4. “The guidance is not intended to revoke or repeal any employee rights.” Schools are directed to follow CAL/OSHA guidelines.

CAL/OSHA guidelines state, “Cloth face covers are not protective equipment and do not protect the person wearing a cloth face cover against COVID-19.”

https://dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/COVID-19-Infection-Prevention-in-Logistics.pdf

Page 5: Teachers are asked to “Teach and reinforce the use of cloth face coverings, masks, or face shields.”
The link provided goes to the CDC, which offers no medical or scientific evidence that supports the use of masks outside of a medical setting. [View my video here for an exact breakdown and discussion of the lack of medical or scientific evidence as referenced by the CDC: https://youtu.be/OUUOq1ksiQQ

PART TWO: References

(1) State Guidance for Schools and School-Based Setting
https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf

(2) CAL/OSHA statement that “cloth face covers do not protect against COVID-19.” https://dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/COVID-19-Infection-Prevention-in-Logistics.pdf

(3) CAL/OSHA “Oxygen deficient atmosphere means an atmosphere with an oxygen content below 19.5% by volume.”
https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5144.html

(4) CDC has no evidence supporting the wearing of cloth face coverings https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

(5) Video showing no evidence from CDC references regarding masks: https://tinyurl.com/ycoeckfv

(6) FDA states “Even N95 respirators do not protect against illness or death” [See paragraph “N95 Respirators]
https://bit.ly/3dEdgFe

(7) New England Journal of Medicine: “We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection.”
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2006372

(8) Psychological harms of mask-wearing: Columbia University: “Many young children burst into tears or recoil when someone wearing a mask approaches. By putting on masks, we take away information that makes it especially difficult for children to recognize others and read emotional signals, which is unsettling and disconcerting.” https://bit.ly/2XDaASx

(9) Physical harms of mask-wearing: “Face Masks Pose Serious Risk to the Healthy”

(10) “Face coverings present a possible choking or strangulation hazard to your child”
https://bit.ly/3cEX4SC

(11) Hand sanitizers pose risk to children: “The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to keep hand sanitizers out of children’s reach.”
https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/05/20/parentplus052020

(12) California Health and Safety Code Section 120290 regarding intentional transmission of disease
https://california.public.law/codes/ca_health_and_safety_code_section_120290