{"id":1173314,"date":"2021-12-30T17:19:28","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T22:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1173314"},"modified":"2021-12-30T17:19:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T22:19:31","slug":"still-defying-governor-austin-schools-implore-kids-to-double-mask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/still-defying-governor-austin-schools-implore-kids-to-double-mask\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Defying Governor, Austin Schools Implore Kids To Double Mask"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstill-defying-governor-austin-schools-implore-kids-to-double-mask%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1173314&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Austin Independent School District (AISD) \u2014 the fifth largest district in Texas \u2014 is urging parents to have their kids double-up on masks in preparation for their return from winter break, according to an email obtained by The Daily Wire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The district, which currently has a mask mandate in place in defiance of the governor, sent out the email on December 29.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Austin ISD resuming classes as scheduled after the Winter Break, staff and families can help prevent the spread of the Omicron variant by getting boosted this week, getting tested at one of our 11 hubs beginning Monday, Jan. 3, and by double-layering masks that fit well on Wednesday when classrooms re-open,\u201d the email said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you can\u2019t find an N95 mask, Dr. Walkes says wearing two well-fitting masks also increases your safety,\u201d it also read.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Desmar Walkes, who is referenced in the district-wide email, serves as the medical director in Austin. She was appointed in May and \u201cis responsible for clinical oversight of medically related services rendered by Austin Public Health and the more than 300 licensed professionals,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/news\/city-austin-announces-new-medical-directorhealth-authority\">according<\/a> to a government memo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One father expressed his frustration with the district\u2019s guidance to The Daily Wire. He wonders how long AISD will enforce restrictions that he views as unreasonable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard enough to keep little kids wearing one mask, how are we supposed to keep them wearing two at a time?\u201d said the parent, speaking on condition of anonymity. \u201cWhere does this stop? Are three masks next? These poor kids just want to learn and see their friends, they don\u2019t deserve to be pawns in the Left\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While AISD told parents to double-mask their children, apparently based on guidance from Walkes, many public health experts have sounded the alarm on the speculative phenomenon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>An April 2021 study partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that double masking may protect individuals in specific situations. However, some researchers notably criticized the study as \u201cnot backed by research,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/news-perspective\/2021\/04\/double-masking-amid-covid-19-not-backed-research-experts-say\">according<\/a> to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at University of Minnesota.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt tells people it\u2019s going to be fine, that you can now wear a cotton bandanna over a procedure mask, and you\u2019re going to be protected,\u201d CIDRAP research consultant Lisa Brosseau said regarding the CDC study, describing how it mischaracterizes the importance of \u201cfilter efficiency\u201d and the many variables at play in avoiding contracting COVID. \u201cBut if you\u2019re going to spend any period of time in a space wearing a cotton mask over a procedure mask, time will eventually betray you. The small amount of protection you will get will get negated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AISD put forth a mask <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kxan.com\/news\/education\/set-for-school\/austin-isd-board-set-to-discuss-covid-19-safety-protocols-before-students-head-back-to-class\/\">mandate<\/a> on campuses and in district offices in September. The move came on the heels of Governor Greg Abbott\u2019s (R-TX) order banning mask mandates in state schools. Austin joined Dallas Independent School District and Houston Independent School District in opposing the rule.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Officials in Dallas County and San Antonio challenged the governor\u2019s order with lawsuits, as did nonprofits, such as Southern Center for Child Advocacy \u2014 as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statesman.com\/story\/news\/2021\/08\/09\/austin-isd-issues-mask-mandate-defiance-texas-gov-greg-abbott\/5545692001\/\">reported<\/a> by the Austin American-Statesman. Unions have been a driving force in Texas in opposing the anti-mask law, as the Statesman also noted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>AISD did not immediately respond to a Daily Wire request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Walkes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, whose congressional district represents a portion of Austin suburbs, told The Daily Wire he thinks AISD is \u201ctrying to be outwardly obnoxious with proving how liberal they can be simply to disagree with what any Republican says \u2014 as opposed to trying to follow a sound science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis smacks of politics,\u201d Sessions also said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Children in Austin have fared extremely well against the virus. <a href=\"https:\/\/austin.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/39e4f8d4acb0433baae6d15a931fa984\">According<\/a> to the latest data reported by Austin Public Health, children ages 1 to 9 comprise 5.9 percent of cases and ages 10 to 19 comprise 11.1 percent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are no reported deaths for anyone under the age of 20 in Austin \u2014 and those ages 20 to 29 make up 1.4 percent of fatalities (17 of 1,218). In the state of Texas as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/45e18cba105c478697c76acbbf86a6bc\">whole<\/a>, 82 kids have died ages 10 to 19 and there have been 23 fatalities for those ages 1 to 9. Fourteen have died under the age of 1.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There has continued to be sharp backlash concerning the idea of masking children in the classroom. Pediatricians and prominent medicine professors, such as Dr. Marty Makarty of Johns Hopkins University, have argued that children are extremely low-risk transmission-wise and can be psychologically harmed. As Makarty and H. Cody Meissner, a professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine and a former Food and Drug Administration employee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/masks-children-parenting-schools-mandates-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-biden-administration-cdc-11628432716\">wrote<\/a> in The Wall Street Journal:<\/p>\n<p>The possible psychological harm of widespread masking is an even greater worry. Facial expressions are integral to human connection, particularly for young children, who are only learning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin Independent School District (AISD) \u2014 the fifth largest district in Texas \u2014 is urging parents to have their kids double-up on masks in preparation for their return from winter break, according to an email obtained by The Daily Wire.\u00a0 The district, which currently has a mask mandate in place in defiance of the governor, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1173314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1173314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1173314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1173314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1173314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}