Published 12/15/23
As schools enter the winter months, the number of masks covering students' and staff's faces tends to increase. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many people opt to mask up during the cold and flu season.
Students and teachers around the school have different thoughts on the subject. Some feel that widespread masking should come back, and some think it should not.
Student Leonardo Mecalco-Rodas believes that if students want to wear a mask then they can, and if they do not, then they do not have to, because it is their choice.
”My parents have told me to stop using the mask but I continue to use it by choice,” Mecalco-Rodas said.
As the winter season gets closer, Mecalco-Rodas tries not to take off his mask as much, to avoid getting sick and so he can stay in school.
Dr. Lindsay Craig teaches biology classes at Warren Central. Similar to Mecalco-Rodas, she does not want to be sick or get anybody else sick. When students and staff are healthy, they should not have to wear a mask, she said, but if they are not feeling well, they should.
“I think that everyone should wear a mask if they're feeling sick no matter what season it is,” she said.
As far as worries about missing days of school, she said there are ways to not fall behind.
“Please try to stay home if you're sick,” Craig said. “Check Canvas and follow up with your teachers if you miss school.”
Junior Jennessa Beard, however, believes that wearing a mask is difficult for some people including her, which is why most people do not wear them when they are sick.
"If you're sick and don't want to wear a mask then just stay home because nobody wants your cold,” Beard said.
According to Beard, students should not have to make that decision to wear a mask in the first place, and they should instead be able to stay home without feeling bad. If they feel like they have to come to school even when they are sick, they will feel defeated and tired and not want to do work anyways.
“This is the reason why the school grade average is so low,” Beard said. ”People should be able to have sick days much like teachers.”
Medical teacher Jessica Lawson's thoughts on the subject are “if someone is experiencing symptoms, staying home would be best practice during the contagious stage.”
But, according to Lawson, if a person is not experiencing symptoms then they do not have to wear a mask in big crowds because they are not causing a risk to anyone.
“We are building natural immunity by being mask free,” she said. “I think if we are experiencing symptoms that we should stay home until we know that we are negative, to protect others around us.”
Lawson believes that people should help protect each other and not just walk around and get each other sick, particularly during seasons when cases of the flu and COVID-19 spike.
“I think that if we are at high risk we should take precautions and wear a mask during these times,” she said. “During these times if we are experiencing symptoms we should again stay home during that contagious stage or until we are well, to protect others around us.”