Masks Again, Unfortunately

Connecticut (or at least its Governor) is looking at ending the school mask mandate at the end of February. Without putting too fine a point on it, that would be the stupidest possible decision the state could make regarding the pandemic. (One caveat, if there are a bunch of recent studies showing that mask wearing is actually prolonging the pandemic that they aren’t telling us about for some reason, disregard everything I say here.) Here’s why:

1. Anyone who has any experience with kids knows how important consistency is. Major changes in the middle of the school year are bad. There is no pressure to make a change on masks immediately, so wait until the end of the year.
2. A sudden reversal on masks will undercut the authority of teachers, admins, paras, and all the other adults who have been trying to enforce mask mandates up until now. You can’t tell a kid in February that they can get a detention for not wearing their mask properly and then in March say, “Whatever, do what you want.”
3. Just because the anti-mask crowd is vocal, doesn’t make them right or reflective of how most people feel. The fact is, for most students, masks are just a part of life. It’s silly to rock the boat.
4. Sudden, immediate reversals like this just reinforce the impression that no one in Hartford or Washington has any idea what they’re doing.

Dropping the mask mandate in the middle of the school year will have a bunch of negative effects and not a single positive one. Anyone who thinks we should drop the mask mandate before June 30th is an idiot.