Masks

Education news, analysis, and opinion about research and policy on students and staff wearing face masks in school to combat the spread of the coronavirus
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In this Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear addresses the media in Frankfort, Ky. Kentucky's governor said Sunday, Oct. 11, that he will quarantine after a member of his security detail who drove with his family the day before later tested positive for COVID-19. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said he and his family feel fine, show no coronavirus symptoms and have tested negative for the virus.
In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear addresses the media in Frankfort, Ky.
Timothy D. Easley/AP
States Kentucky Ends All Statewide Mask Mandates After Governor's Vetoes Overridden
The Republican-led legislation strips the Democratic governor's ability to issue statewide mask mandates in schools or anywhere else.
Jack Brammer and Alex Acquisto, Lexington Herald-Leader, September 10, 2021
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4 min read
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Law & Courts Florida Attorney General Joins Mask Mandate Legal Fight as State Defies Court Ruling
Fla. Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, said school districts must comply with the ban on mask mandates.
Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, September 2, 2021
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4 min read
Emily Jeter helps her son Eli, a kindergarten student, get his mask on before heading into class at Jenks East Elementary School, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla.
Emily Jeter helps her son Eli, a kindergarten student, get his mask on before heading into Jenks East Elementary School in Tulsa, Okla., earlier this month.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Higher Rates of Delta Infection Projected in Schools With No Mask Mandate or COVID Testing
Models project higher rates of infection among students without careful adherence to masking, testing, and other strategies.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 1, 2021
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7 min read
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Marta Lavandier/AP
School & District Management Florida Withholds School Board Salaries Over Mask Mandates
The state is withholding money to penalize districts that defy the ban on mask mandates, despite a ruling deeming that ban unconstitutional.
Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 31, 2021
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5 min read
Kindergarten students sit in their classroom on the first day of in-person learning at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in Los Angeles on April 13, 2021.
Kindergarten students sit in their classroom on the first day of in-person learning at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in Los Angeles in April 2021.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Federal Education Department Opens Civil Rights Probes in 5 States That Ban School Mask Mandates
The move on behalf of students with disabilities deepens the fight over masks between the Biden administration and GOP governors.
Evie Blad, August 30, 2021
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4 min read
cgcs 2021 tracker
School & District Management Interactive Masks, Vaccines & Testing: How the Biggest City School Districts Operated in Fall 2021
Education Week tracked COVID-19 protocols for some of America’s largest school districts at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
Tonya Harris, August 30, 2021
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1 min read
Image showing a gavel coming down on a medical face mask.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Mask Mandate Lawsuits Reflect Bigger Battle: Do States or Local Districts Control Schools?
Some legal clarity is forming over whether governors may restrict school districts from enacting mask mandates to fight COVID-19.
Mark Walsh, August 27, 2021
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9 min read
Image of a student holding a mask and a backpack near the entrance of a classroom.
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School & District Management Unmasked and Masked Students Separated at Texas School District
The measure is one part of a new “mask enforcement” policy in Eanes Independent School District in Austin.
Kaitlyn Alanis, The Charlotte Observer, August 27, 2021
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3 min read
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks to reporters after a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Albany, N.Y.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks to reporters after a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Albany, N.Y.
Hans Pennink/AP
States New York Will Require Masks for Everyone in Schools, Says Gov. Kathy Hochul
“None of us want a rerun of last year’s horrors with COVID-19," said New York's newly sworn-in governor.
Elizabeth Doran, syracuse.com, August 25, 2021
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2 min read
SEL Masks 081921
Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty Images
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A Do Masks Stunt Students’ Social and Emotional Development? An Expert Weighs In
An argument against requiring masks in school is that they stunt kids' ability to read emotions and build relationships. Is that true?
Arianna Prothero, August 25, 2021
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6 min read
Students are reminded to wear a mask amidst other chalk drawings on the sidewalk as they arrive for the first day of school at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla., Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.
Students are reminded to wear a mask amid other chalk drawings on the sidewalk as they arrive for the first day of school at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. in 2020. Oklahoma is one of eight states that have banned local mask requirements for the 2021-22 school year.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
States Federal COVID Aid a Flash Point as Tensions Escalate Over School Mask Policies
The Biden administration reassures schools they can use federal aid to make up for penalties for defying state bans on mask mandates.
Evie Blad, August 23, 2021
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6 min read
Two students wearing masks and backpacks in front of lockers.
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Student Well-Being & Movement Masks Won't Slow Language for Kids If There's Plenty of Face Time at Home, Expert Says
While masks may decrease facial cues, it's too early to know for sure how wearing masks might affect speech and language, an expert says.
Ed Stannard, New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.), August 23, 2021
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6 min read
Stillman Middle School students in face masks walk through their campus courtyard to class during their first day back to school Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, in Brownsville, Texas.
Stillman Middle School students in face masks walk through their campus courtyard to class during their first day back to school Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, in Brownsville, Texas.
Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald via AP
States Texas Not Enforcing Ban on School Mask Mandates Amid Ongoing Legal Battles
Texas is not enforcing Gov. Abbott's executive orders banning mask requirements in schools, the Texas Education Agency said.
María Méndez and Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman (Austin, Texas), August 20, 2021
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3 min read
Image of a face mask on school notebook.
Steven White/iStock/Getty
States Infographic Which States Banned Mask Mandates in Schools, and Which Required Masks?
Education Week tracked state-level school mask policies during the 2021-22 school year.
Stacey Decker, August 20, 2021
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1 min read
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