Masks for kids? Sure, but also let’s mandate vaccines for teachers
I have to hand it to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, as his decision to mandate masks in K-12 public schools is A) probably the right decision right now, given the delta wave, but more importantly, B) because any concerns I had over Murphy’s political animal instincts have now subsided.
In short: Masking kids isn’t exactly a popular opinion - even for us Chicken Little types — and for Murphy to follow the CDC guidelines (after he originally said it was going to be a decision left up to individual districts) -- shows, to me, that he cares more about his beliefs and what he thinks is right more than he cares about how it will look politically. After all, he is up for re-election this year, going up against Republican Jack Ciattarelli in November.
Or … uh … well … I mean, Murphy is leading Ciattarelli by 15 points in the latest FDU poll, so Murphy could probably stand in front of a lectern and say, “Bruce Springsteen (stinks), pork roll is for losers, and Delaware beaches destroy the Jersey shore,” and he’d still probably win, so who knows what Murphy is thinking when it comes to masking kids?
Of course, beyond the political aspect of this is the public health aspect.
Now: Do I want my kids masked? I do not. But should they be masked? Absolutely.
And yes, thank goodness, kids overwhelmingly have awesome outcomes when it comes to the coronavirus, but I know I certainly don’t want my kids to run the risk. One of my kids had to be hospitalized with the flu once, and so who the hell knows how she’d respond to the coronavirus. And so for me, the only answer is mandatory masking at this point. You can’t make it optional, as I’m guessing the people who wouldn’t mask their kids are also falling more on the “vaccine? nah” end of the spectrum.
The delta variant is more contagious, and, as a result, more kids are getting ill from the virus, more kids are going to the hospital with the virus. Again, the numbers aren’t outrageous, but I’d rather not take the risk. It seems imprudent to open up schools without masking requirements, at least until vaccines are made available for the under-12 set. (When it comes to masking requirements in the upper grades, I’m of two minds, mostly because kids can get vaccinated at this point. But the other mind is going to win out, namely we are in the midst of an upswing in cases, and masking is easy and obvious.)
But you know what’s also easy and obvious as we head back to school in a few weeks?
Murphy should be mandating the vaccine for teachers and staff in public schools. Beyond masking, that’s the next best way to keep kids safe in the classroom.
He said as much the other day, saying, “It’s something we’re working on.”
And before you can say “Ain’t no way the NJEA is going to go for that,” it’s worth noting the head of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, is calling for exactly that.
“The circumstances have changed,” Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday. “It weighs really heavily on me that kids under 12 can’t get vaccinated. As a matter of personal
conscience we need to be working with employers on vaccine mandates.”
This is the biggest no-brainer yet, and - circling back to the politics of it all - if Murphy truly wants to do what’s right, he goes ahead and does this. I’d rather have my kids unmasked in a ventilated, window-open room with a vaccinated teacher than have them masked in a closed room with an unvaccinated teacher.
Of course, what would help move this along is the NJEA going ahead and agreeing with the stance now espoused by the American Federation of Teachers, namely, if you want to be a teacher, you need to be vaccinated.
I sent an email to Steve Baker, the NJEA communications director Monday morning, and the response was … well, close but no cigar on the “sure, let’s mandate it front.”
“NJEA strongly supports and has publicly promoted vaccination for all eligible individuals,” Baker wrote. “We ran ads last spring featuring our members talking about the importance of vaccination. Vaccination is the best tool we have to better protect our schools and communities. New Jersey does not yet have a vaccine or testing requirement for school employees. If the Governor’s executive order requiring vaccination or regular testing in certain other sectors is extended
to schools, we will work to ensure that it is implemented in a way that protects the health and welfare of everyone involved. In any case, we will continue to encourage and promote vaccination for school employees and all eligible New Jersey residents.”
Well, then there we are. Ball’s in your court, Murphy. Maybe mandate vaccines for school employees once you get back from your Italian vacation (don’t get me started).