Alexandra Swan, 17 years old, believes it is wrong for people to make snap judgments.
She finds it difficult to adhere to her own rules these days as a senior at Louisa County High School, Va. She looks at any student she meets, friend, foe, or stranger, and her eyes immediately jump to the same spot: Their nose and mouth, which might or not be covered by masks. Louisa County Public Schools now follows Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s controversial order, which made masking optional, was passed by the Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Swan said, “I see these people not wearing a mask or pulling one down like under their chin.” We won’t get along.’ She said, “They may not be a terrible person. They might be thinking the exact same thoughts as their parents.
Youngkin’s mask-optional Order, which gives Virginia parents the right to choose whether they want to be covered in public and private schools, was issued on Youngkin’s first day in office. It was a fierce battle: Seventy-one out of 131 Virginia school district refused to comply with the order. According to a Washington Post analysis and a flood of lawsuits filed by parents and school officials against and in support of it, This week, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law that requires all schools to become mask-optional starting March 1. This will mean that every one among Virginia’s more then 1.8 million students will be subject to masking and tensions at school.
Virginia students are now faced with real-life challenges as they try to figure out the merits of masking.
The Washington Post asked parents from across the state to share their views on school policies. Nearly 200 submissions were received from families living in at most 25 school districts.
Some students in Virginia were thrilled to take off their masks. However, administrators in the districts that still required it sent unmasked children back to their homes or into isolated rooms. Others students, particularly those with health conditions, were shocked to be seated next to their maskless peers and unable to ask for a change of seats. Students said that teachers often deny their request to change seats, citing instructions from higher-ups to not segregate students by mask status.
Swan described school as “like a war zone” – a raging partisan struggle that no one can escape from. Every student arrives with evidence of their political views – those without masks often lean right, she said. Swan stated that she is no longer speaking with students who wear masks, as they are dismissive of the decision and unwilling to hear another opinion.
Swan said that she is eager to graduate from college and move on to a career in musical theater.
She said, “Before, masks were all necessary, you didn’t – it wasn’t like you were making any statements.” “This made everything worse.”
– – –
_ Sam Sweetser, 17 and Andrew Kulak 16,
Youngkin’s mask optional order initially thrilled Sam Sweetser & Andrew Kulak.
The two best friends, who attended Deep Run High School, Virginia’s Henrico County, and swim together as a competitive swimming team outside of school, were ready to take off their masks after months spent in uncomfortable, muffled, sweaty schooling. Andrew waited until September to return from masking, and Sam returned to in person schooling as soon last March as he was able.
Sam, a 17 year-old senior, claimed that mask-wearing makes it difficult to engage in meaningful class discussions and socially outside class. This is because everyone’s voices and faces are hidden. Andrew, a junior 16-year-old, stated that teachers’ masks make it difficult to hear the lesson, while his mask distracts from the lesson.
Andrew said, “It definitely makes learning difficult. It’s almost like you can feel all the stuff piling up.” “It just makes you feel thick.”
Both boys claimed that masks can also cause them acne and irritate their skin under their chins.
On Jan. 24, Youngkin’s order was put into effect. The two friends arrived at their high school blissfully unmasked, even though their district, Henrico County Public Schools had defied the governor’s orders. With widespread vaccinations and dropping rates of infection, the teens believe that the pandemic has ended. They believe it is time for students to feel more comfortable without masks to enter school.
Sam spoke out about mask-optional policies. He said, “We just felt that it was necessary.”
Sam and Andrew were directed by administrators into an empty auditorium, where they met about a dozen students who had also arrived without masks, seconds after they entered the school building. The boys stayed there for the remainder of the day, learning asynchronously. This means they completed assignments without live instruction. However, both men claimed that they didn’t learn any.
For a week, this continued. Sam stated that the boys were eventually moved from the auditorium to a classroom without lights because staff never bothered to turn them off. But they were determined. Officials allowed the teens to return to their classrooms after they showed up unmasked for a second week. But, instead of putting plexiglass bubbles at their desks, they made them feel like social pariahs.
Andrew explained that a teacher placed me in a corner with glass and the sun was glaring off of the board. “I couldn’t see anything” Andrew said. “So I was still not learning anything.”
The standoff was about to enter its third week. Officials informed students who were not wearing masks that they were ending their “recent accommodations made to replace mask use” and that students would be subject to “disciplinary action” if the school did not allow them to attend without covering their faces. According to an email shared by The Post, the email was shared with The Post. Soon after, Andrew and Sam gave in.
Eileen Cox, spokeswoman for Henrico schools, wrote in an email that she was asked about the boys’ account. She said that the district “continues communicating with families regarding expectations and our desire work with individual families.
Both teens stated that they noticed a difference in the way people treated them at school. Other students who support masking stopped speaking to the boys: Sam said, “They kinda treat us like they’re an embarrassment.”
They said that even though both boys started going to school again, the social ostracizing continued.
Sam said that Youngkin’s order to make masks optional has made him feel stressed about school. He acknowledged Youngkin’s efforts but said he wishes the governor had made things clearer. He wants the adults not to fight and to come up with solutions.
Sam has been forced twice to stay home from school because of the consequences of the masking fracas.
Sam stated, “I’m just like, ” “I can’t handle this today,” ” Sam said. “Just don’t go.”
Andrew said that school felt like a toxic environment. “I don’t look forward anymore to going to school because it’s just one day after another.”
Henrico schools started allowing students to attend classes maskless on Thursday as an early response to the new Virginia law. After their first day of breathing normally, both boys stated that they felt better.
– – –
_ Angela Rivera, 18
Angela Rivera was well aware of the dangers associated with speaking at Loudoun County School Board meetings. She knew that the county is very wealthy and divided politically. It has been in the national spotlight almost two years ago for its ongoing, chaotic educational culture wars. She was aware that a board meeting that was charged last year ended in an arrest. This is because masking is one topic that upsets the majority of White, conservative parents who express their discontent during public comments at nearly every board meeting.
Angela, a Hispanic representative on the student school board, felt that she had a duty to support school mask-wearing as it was being challenged in this instance by the governor. She planned to thank Loudoun’s school board for its continued mask mandate and for taking the pandemic seriously at a meeting in January.
Angela, 18, said that she wanted to speak from the student perspective because there isn’t much of it on the news. Angela wants to pursue a career as a social worker. “Parents are fighting to achieve this,” you hear. “Parents are fighting to protect this.” “I wanted to ensure that students had a voice.”
Hers was almost not on that cold Tuesday night.
She was just halfway through her first sentence, thanking the schoolboard, when a group predominantly White parents started shouting. She could not understand what they were saying, but she could see that they were disagreeing. She heard laughter and stuttering. She saw her parents raising signs up in the air and pointing at her. She was suddenly unable to understand their slogans.
She was then unable to speak. She began to cry and left the room. Her speech was not finished.
Angela tried to calm herself in a public bathroom, reminding herself why she was there. Angela reflected on the reasons masking is important and pictured the small classrooms at Park View High, which she stated is in dire need of renovation. Angela stated that social distancing at Park View is impossible and that teens are not the best in hygiene. She also thought about her family members who are older and would be at risk if they contracted the coronavirus.
She believed that the pandemic was larger than any one person, regardless of their political beliefs or desire to be a maskless or have a set of bruised emotions. She had a realization.
Angela said that she tried to tell Angela in her head that I wasn’t speaking to them. Angela was referring specifically to White parents who were angry at Angela. “I’m speaking to school board because the school board should be there for students.”
She returned to the meeting room, and she read her speech through.
Angela stated to the sea of adults that students need to be “masked” in order “to keep other students safe and their families safe.”
Three weeks later, Loudoun’s superintendent announced that he would make masks optional for all students, staff and faculty, effective immediately in response to a court order.
– – –
Elizabeth Eads (13), and John King (10).
John King’s glasses fog up every time he puts on his mask.
The 10-year-old child, who attends elementary school in Virginia Beach City Public Schools’, finds it difficult to see what is happening at the front of his classroom. He squints hard and sits next to the teacher. John’s school recently made masks optional. His mother is waiting until infection rates drop before opting him out. However, she will submit the form next week.
John is now unable to remove his mask at school and has given up his glasses. He keeps them in his backpack, but they are useless during class. The fourth-grader is a mad man because he can’t seem to learn.
John said that masks should be “optional everywhere”, pointing out that many Virginians – including him- have coronavirus vaccines (more than 70% of the state is vaccinated according to state data). “Why should I wear a mask?”
Elizabeth Eads, thirteen years old, is situated in Rockingham County Virginia, approximately four hours away.
Elizabeth believes masking should be required for many reasons. However, the most important reason is her grandfather, whom she refers to as Papaw. He is Elizabeth’s favorite person in the universe, but he isn’t always healthy. He has a chronic disease which is causing his airways and heart to collapse, Elizabeth stated.
Before the pandemic, she loved spending time with Papaw, who is now 91, and they enjoyed sharing meals almost every day. Since her school made masking optional, she rarely sees Papaw except to drop off groceries.
Elizabeth estimates that almost all of the students at her small, Christian private school are unmasked when she arrives. This makes her anxious for Papaw.
“Say that I got covid at school, and. . . Papaw had to go to the hospital. “Mom would be quarantining him because I had covid and she wouldn’t be able take him. And Dad would be quarantining,” Elizabeth stated.
Because Elizabeth’s grandmother is unable to handle highways, Elizabeth wouldn’t be capable of driving Papaw to the emergency department. Elizabeth said that it would be “really difficult” to get Papaw to the doctor.
One of Elizabeth’s close friends prefers to go naked, she said. This has been hard. Elizabeth was able to approach her friend and explain her concern about Papaw. She seemed to understand Elizabeth’s desire for protection of her grandfather. Elizabeth wears a mask to school, but it sometimes slips below her nose.
Elizabeth is now reluctant to discuss pandemic safety with the majority of her grade’s maskless students. Elizabeth interrupts their conversation when they get too far from the topic of masks. Elizabeth will often ask about the student’s dog. If the child doesn’t have a dog she brings up dogs and how wonderful they can be.
Elizabeth used to debate politics with one boy in particular. She stated that something has changed. She stated, “At the point, I kinda realize he won’t change his mind. He’s just consuming media that is really right wing.” “And there is nothing I can do.”
If Elizabeth can’t find a way for the discussion to move away from masks, especially with this boy, she just leaves.
“I look at the world and turn my back, because if it gets too involved, I will get too involved,” she said. Papaw’s thoughts would intrude, she said. “I will start screaming or yelling or I will begin crying.”
She doesn’t want her classmates seeing her cry.
– – –
Caleb Joines (12).
Caleb Joines likes school. Because he loves to read, English is his favorite subject.
The 12-year old’s mind has been far removed from academics in recent years. He is putting his life in danger every day he enters Elizabeth Davis Middle School in Chester (Virginia), where masks are not required.
Youngkin’s mask optional order has made it “scary” at school, he said. “Because of my severe lung problems.”
Caleb was born in the esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula category. This is a long list of words that means that Caleb’s pipes are not properly aligned. Caleb can’t remember a time when his asthma attacks didn’t include wheezes and bursting into wheezes. His mother said that he was constantly in and out hospital for most of his childhood, which led to more lung problems.
Caleb was temporarily unable to participate in most physical activities for a while. Things improved when he began to take allergy shots and used an inhaler. But things got worse when the pandemic struck.
Caleb’s parents and doctor warned him that he had a greater chance of dying than his friends. He can recall when his mother broke it to him, in the midst of the pandemic.
Caleb stated that the coronavirus was just a disease or something. “And that it could cause me serious harm.”
Caleb found himself sitting next to a non-maskless classmate four times since Youngkin made masks mandatory. He has asked the teacher to move him several times.
Caleb said that he would never openly discuss his concerns with his classmates. He doesn’t believe they would understand his concerns about his lungs. He doesn’t think they will listen. He doesn’t believe they would listen even if they did.
He said that they would most likely be rude and claim it’s their choice.
Caleb requested to move the first time he asked. His teacher put him at a corner table. A second teacher told Caleb that she wasn’t certain of the rules. She had to consult the principal. Caleb was then taken aside by his teacher and given a long speech about how it would not be right and against district policy to “segregate maskless people from mask-wearers.” Caleb was eventually moved by the school, according to his mother. However, it was an embarrassing and painful experience.
Teachers moved him with no problem the third and fourth time.
Caleb said that school is now scary twice: First, he fears being seated next a student who is not wearing a mask. He is also afraid of what might happen to him if he asks for a different seat.
He said that the former fear would always outweigh it all. He will continue to ask to sit somewhere else, regardless of adult disapproval from his teacher, principal, or governor of Virginia.
Caleb said, “Because…I don’t wish to end up in hospital again.” “I don’t want people talking about how long I’ve been gone and such things.
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