{"id":58896,"date":"2021-08-19T17:12:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T21:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=58896"},"modified":"2021-08-19T17:12:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T21:12:20","slug":"who-has-the-power-to-say-kids-do-or-dont-have-to-wear-masks-in-school-the-governor-or-the-school-district-its-not-clear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/who-has-the-power-to-say-kids-do-or-dont-have-to-wear-masks-in-school-the-governor-or-the-school-district-its-not-clear\/","title":{"rendered":"Who has the power to say kids do or don\u2019t have to wear masks in school \u2013 the governor or the school district? It\u2019s not clear"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nLegal battles over masks in schools are being fought across the country, including in\u00a0Arkansas<\/a>,\u00a0California<\/a>,\u00a0Florida<\/a>,\u00a0Kentucky<\/a>,\u00a0Michigan<\/a>,\u00a0Oklahoma<\/a>,\u00a0Nevada<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rather than clarifying policy, these legal challenges have led to more confusion.<\/p>\n

As a new school year begins and COVID-19 hospitalizations rise across the country, the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>\u00a0recommend that students wear masks in school to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

This guidance, and schools\u2019 responses to it, has resulted in an intense debate. Some parents argue that they should be able to decide when and where their children wear masks, whereas others argue collective health and safety concerns take priority over individual choices. These arguments fall\u00a0sharply along partisan lines<\/a>, with 88% of Democrats supporting mask mandates and 69% of Republicans against the requirements.<\/p>\n

State rules reflect this division. In\u00a0eight states<\/a>, as of Aug. 16, 2021, laws were enacted or governors issued orders banning public schools from requiring students to wear masks. On the opposite side of the debate,\u00a012 states and the District of Columbia<\/a>\u00a0are requiring students to wear masks indoors.<\/p>\n

Further complicating matters, some school districts have acted in\u00a0outright defiance<\/a>\u00a0of their states\u2019 regulations. These conflicts pose one key question: Who has the power to control the health and safety measures schools take \u2013 state leaders or local officials?
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