Major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educator…
BOSTON — Major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educators, school boards and parents throughout the pandemic.
In Anchorage, Alaska, School Superintendent Deena Bishop says lifting the mandate in the city’s nearly 100 public schools last week was a relief after months of acrimony even though there were some bumpy patches. “There was a lot of angst, a lot of battles in the city over wearing masks, not wearing masks,” Bishop said. “So I’m glad that we’ve taken that fight away. All that has just subsided, and now we can go back to focus on learning.”
New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois and Delaware rescinded their statewide school mask requirements recently. New Jersey and Rhode Island dropped theirs officially Monday while California, Oregon and Washington have jointly announced they’ll drop their statewide mandates effective March 12.Officials many large cities, such as Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
“I think it’s nice because kids can finally see their teachers talk, and I also have a younger daughter who has spent all her time with no face, right?” said Jack’s mother, Andrea. “So for little kids, it’s really great because you can see the way words are pronounced and you can see spellings.