Teachers, Parents, and Students Prepare for Going Mask-less at School

California students, parents, and teachers will all be taking steps toward an adjustment period starting on Monday.

By removing the state’s mandatory mask mandate, school districts have the option to allow students to wear masks inside the classroom, Yahoo reported.

There will, however, be some campuses that will still enforce the mask requirement. Moreover, not all students are ready to go barefaced.

“This whole pandemic has been a long journey,” Thersa Amofa explained.

Parent Amofa is grateful that COVID-19 cases have declined enough to reach this point. It’s not an easy choice for her to stop wearing facemasks.

“I’m a little worried about it. But I mean we’ve got to live life. We’ve got to go on,” Amofa said.

Her daughter, who will start third grade on Monday, already has a plan in mind when she goes into her classroom.

“Inside I want to keep my mask on and outside I want to take it off,” Zaniyah Amofa explained.

Ligia Pacheco, a licensed clinical social worker for Kaiser Permanente, said that making adjustments to COVID protocols can be difficult for many families.

“Let them know that you support their decision if they chose to continue to still wear a mask,” Pacheco stated.

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Some parents, however, are concerned about this new approach. Carlos Hernandez is concerned for his 5-year-old son because he’s unsure whether everyone else in the class is vaccinated.

“We don’t know. So, for me it’s better that they still use it,” Hernandez said.

Parents from across the state had requested that masks become optional for students. However, the new policy will not apply to all classrooms.

The second-largest school district in the nation, LAUSD, is keeping the mask mandate in place.

As part of a switch from a mask mandate to a recommendation, the district is working with labor partners, including the teachers’ union.