School districts are taking different approaches to the temporary restraining order, leading to a mix of relief, confusion, fear and ongoing disagreements for teachers, administrators, parents and kids.
In Barrington, some students said they felt peer pressured to take off their masks. Jackie Zagrans said her middle school daughter felt so anxious about her health and about bullies, she left school early. Zagrans said her daughter told her one boy was pulling masks off some of the younger students.
“There were threats made,” she said. “There was a great deal of ugliness in the hallways, in the classrooms and at the lunch table.”
Zagrans said as the legal process plays out, she hopes the district makes a better plan to handle these situations. She’s also concerned this could mark an increase in COVID infections.
Another Barrington mother, Marsha McClary, said her kids had no problems at school. They were happy to go without masks, and they said it wasn’t tense between kids who wore masks and those who didn’t. She said kids have been missing out on social cues wearing masks all day.
“There’s just a lot of dimensions of their life that, when you can’t see how someone’s really reacting to something you say, that’s a much bigger deal than I think a lot of people realized,” she said.
McClary said it would be unfortunate if kids had to go back to wearing masks while the legal challenge continues. She said kids aren’t as affected by the coronavirus as other groups.
“No matter what happens with the legal system, we are going to continue to advocate for these kids who don’t have as much of a voice as the parents do,” she said.
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