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As some anti-mask parents cite student mental health, Wake says it will keep mandate

News & Observer - 1/6/2022

Jan. 6—CARY — Wake County will continue requiring that face masks be worn in schools, amid a debate about whether the coverings are hurting the mental health of some students.

The Wake County school board unanimously voted this week to continue the face mask mandate after citing the spike in COVID-19 cases in the community from the omicron variant. The vote came after several public speakers linked requiring face coverings with mental health issues that some students are experiencing.

"The dehumanization, isolation and fear mongering caused by all these mandates and COVID hysteria is literally killing our children," Colleen Fleming, a parent, told the school board on Tuesday. "Understand this: Each and every one of you is complicit in the deterioration of our schoolchildren's mental health and well-being and downfall of their academic success."

School board vice chairman Chris Heagarty objected to the accusations from the mask critics.

"It's being implied though that somehow masks are the problem and that this national state of emergency in mental health is linked to our mask policies," Heagarty said. "And it's not."

Face masks have been required in Wake since students began returning for in-person instruction in October 2020. But unlike last school year, the decision now is up to local school districts whether to continue requiring masks.

A new state law requires monthly votes on school district masking policies.

National mental health emergency

The issue of whether to continue requiring face masks has produced heated public comments at school board meetings in Wake and across the nation.

On Tuesday, several public speakers cited a CDC study that found a 51% increase in emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts by girls ages 12 to 17. Other speakers pointed to how the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health.

"He says he hates school and he hates his life," Jessica Lewis said of her son. "He is 7. He struggles with finding joy in school due to social distancing and being reprimanded if his mask ls not on properly."

Her daughter, Caitlynn Lewis Honeycutt, a 4th-grade student, told the board that school is no longer fun due to masks. The district has not approved the mask exemption request for her or her brother.

""When I wear a mask, I feel like I cannot breathe," Caitlynn said. "My mask makes me feel dizzy and gross because it gets wet. My mask gives me headaches and causes me to throw up in school."

While most of the in-person speakers opposed the mask mandate, many of the written comments submitted to the board supported keeping the requirement.

"Please keep the masking rule in place," wrote Stephanie Hall, a parent. "It is the easiest and most simple mitigation measure. My 7-year-old loves his mask, and both of my kids forget to take it off when I pick them up.

"They are old enough to understand the rules and how it helps themselves and others."

Masks as a tool to protect students

School board members argued that requiring face masks will help keep COVID cases down so that students don't miss school.

"Masks are a tool," said board member Jim Martin. "They are not a guarantee. But we need to use all tools at our disposal at this time."

Heagarty, the board member, said mask critics aren't acknowledging that Wake and the state are taking the mental health issues seriously and are trying to address them.

Heagarty and other board members also acknowledged that the pandemic has impacted students negatively.

"Children have suffered in this pandemic in ways that are going to resonate," said board member Christine Kushner. "It falls on us to pay close attention to that, and I think we are paying such close attention to that."

Keeping schools open

Board members also said keeping the mask mandate will help keep schools open for in-person instruction.

"I don't think anyone on this board is advocating for school closure," Kushner said. "We've seen what that looks like.

"We've seen what cohorts look like. We know that in-person instruction should be our focus for as many children who are choosing to be in in-person instruction."

Martin also said that he's not calling for closing schools. But he said Wake should plan now for having large numbers of staff and students out in the coming weeks due to the omicron variant.

"I would like us to very seriously — and as quickly as possible — get something in place so that people who have a true concern are not forced to put their kids into a setting where the likelihood of infection is quite high," Martin said.

Kristin Beller, president of the Wake County chapter of the N.C. Association of Educators, said the district can help keep schools open by speeding up COVID testing and getting N95 face masks in the hands of staff.

"I'm not asking you to close schools, because educators do not want that to happen," Beller said. "We want to sustain open schools."

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