Masking the problem; Atlanta Private Schools Mask Mandates
It's no secret that no one enjoys wearing masks, and for a while we thought we would no longer have to. With everyone 12 and up being eligible to get the vaccine, we all had assumed the virus would end and schools would regain normalcy. But now that schools are back in person, masks have become a requirement once again. Private schools like Woodward, Westminster, Mount Vernon, Holy Innocents’, Lovett, and our own Galloway, all state on their websites that masks are required for all indoor activities. But I wanted to dig deeper into the reality of the situation. I interviewed a few students from some of the schools to get more insight on how Atlanta private schools are actually handling masks and COVID-19.
Max Sard, a sophomore from Woodward Academy said, “It's a little more lenient than last year. Our mandates last year were to wear masks at all times and stay socially distant. This year it's only mandated inside and the social distancing rule is three feet, and outside there are no regulations at all.” Woodward seems similar to Galloway and other schools.
A student from The Westminster Schools said, “Our teachers have a rule, if they require you to pull up your mask more than twice then everyone in that space has to go outside. Sometimes when the teachers aren't looking, kids will have them down. But most of the time when people try to get away with it, they will always run into teachers when they have their mask down, and the teachers will say something. If anyone ever has their mask down and they see a teacher, they will pull it up. That's like their trigger.” For the most part, Westminster seems to follow their school guidelines, and the fear of the faculty catching them not following rules pushes the students of Westminster to follow protocol.
Matthew Collins, a sophomore from The Mount Vernon School said, “Everybody is wearing masks, it's almost second nature at this point...[Mount Vernon] started the first two weeks off with no masks, and then in the third week we transitioned back to masks, it was a one-day quick thing. It went from strongly recommended to required. My friends and I pretty much wear our masks all day, and we try to keep them on at all times other than lunch. There is also a covid vaccine truck that comes every month, so vaccines are available at school.” Mount Vernon has taken great initiative to quickly adapt their rules for the safety of students and staff.
Caroline Cranman, a sophomore from The Galloway School said, “For the most part, the students here do a good job of keeping their masks on, even sometimes outside when they aren't required. I know I do. We also have a pretty good amount of students that are vaccinated, so that helps. I feel like covid is really bad right now with the Delta-Variant, though. Since Corona has been going on for so long, people are starting to get careless and are over the pandemic now.” I agree that Galloway has done a good job of being responsible with COVID-19, and our faculty do an excellent job of enforcing mask protocols.
I can't say I’m upset that all of the schools I got inside insight into are following their schools rules and keeping themselves and everybody around them safe. I, as well as others I'm sure, hope that soon we won't have to follow these rules and that we will be able to be safe without masks like before the pandemic. For any students reading, thank you for following proper COVID-19 CDC policies and continue to practice safe habits.
By Peyton Louie