Friday’s column in New York Magazine is a must-read for those following the controversy over masks in K-12 schools.
In May, as the column says, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a large-scale study of COVID transmission in American schools. It concluded that masking then-unvaccinated teachers and improving ventilation with more fresh air were associated with a lower incidence of the virus in schools. “The fact that they seem to work is reassuring but not surprising,” as the column says.
But it’s what the study found that the CDC didn’t tell us that’s important. The CDC’s published summary of the study did not include its findings that certain other common mitigation measures in American schools don’t work. Distancing, hybrid models, classroom barriers, HEPA filters, and, most notably, requiring student masking were each found to not have a statistically significant benefit.
“In other words, these measures could not be said to be effective,” as the New York Magazine column says.
Finding that masks on school kids don’t work should come as no surprise because that’s “not exactly controversial,” says the column, for reasons it explained:
Many of America’s peer nations around the world — including the U.K., Ireland, all of Scandinavia, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Italy — have exempted kids, with varying age cutoffs, from wearing masks in classrooms. Conspicuously, there’s no evidence of more outbreaks in schools in those countries relative to schools in the U.S., where the solid majority of kids wore masks for an entire academic year and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. These countries, along with the World Health Organization, whose child-masking guidance differs substantially from the CDC’s recommendations, have explicitly recognized that the decision to mask students carries with it potential academic and social harms for children and may lack a clear benefit.
Scientists the author spoke with believe that omitting the null effects of a student masking requirement amounted to “file drawering” — sticking what you don’t like in a drawer and forgetting about it.
The author challenged the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics to put up their evidence that masks on school kids work since they both recommend it. Both struck out. The CDC provided an evasive answer and the AAP didn’t respond at all.
What evidence could other scientists point to supporting the recommendation of masks in schools?
Nobody the author talked to was able to find a data set as robust as the CDC results, “that is, a large cohort study directly looking at the effects of a mask requirement.” It was indeed a major study, “both ambitious and groundbreaking,” says the column. It covered more than 90,000 elementary-school students in 169 Georgia schools and was, according to the CDC, the first of its kind to compare COVID-19 incidence in schools with certain mitigation measures in place to other schools without those measures.
But CDC deep-sixed the key conclusions. Read the whole New York Magazine column.
The CDC obviously has some explaining to do, but so do officials in states like Illinois that blindly follow CDC guidance. Maybe reporters here will start asking: “What’s your ‘science’ behind masking kids in schools, and please don’t point to CDC guidance?”
COVID remains a deadly risk for certain groups, primarily the elderly and the obese, and case counts are rising. Is it too much to ask whether measures being taken actually work? America is tired of being lied to.
-Mark Glennon
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Anyone surprised? Then they wonder why people don’t believe what the say
Anyone surprised?
Here’s something to ponder. For arguments sake if the virus was engineered and let loose on the public what was the purpose. Depopulation? Causing financial chaos? The Great Reset? New World Order? These are some of the theories floating around. Believe some-believe none. your choice. Considering that the virus killed somewhere north of 4M world wide out of close to 8B not exactly a global killer. Here is my thought. What if the vaccine which is believed to cause more damage by some than the virus itself and still not protect anyone completely will just lay dormant in the body… Read more »
Here is the likely scenario: It was an accident that the Chinese Communists decided to use to spread discord, cripple the global economy and expand China’s power. Prior to Summer 2019 Chinese Scientists in Wuhan were developing a bio-engineered virus focusing on transmissibility; their intent was to create a Biological Weapon. Late Summer 2019 the Virus infects a scientist and thereby escapes the lab and enters the human Wuhan population. September 2019 local Communists and MD’s try to suppress the outbreak and don’t inform their Beijing masters. October 2019 Beijing knows and try to isolate virus to Wuhan. January 2020… Read more »
Keep going back in time. Prior to the summer of 2019, as far back as 2014 (likely longer), the US was helping fund “gain of function” research at Wuhan. This means the US was partially funding research in China to make viruses (like SARS) more lethal (see the recent senate spats between Rand Paul and Fauci the Fraud). They (globalist elements like Gates and like minded members of the permanent governing class) have been gaming the impact of a pandemic for years if not decades. The time was right for virus release given the US was going to begin handing… Read more »
You want an answer to that? Take a look at what leaders said they are going along with the great reset and use the freedom of information act to see what democrats invested in mask producers and vaccine makers in Nov of 19′. However evil you thought it was, it is 10 times worse then that.
The whole idea that “science” can somehow justify suspending our civil liberties and force us to mask up, vaccinate, quarantine healthy people, suspend in-person learning, and test people indefinitely to make sure that they aren’t infected with covid needs to be squelched. As British Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said: “Science will explain how but not why. It talks about what is, not what ought to be. Science is descriptive, not prescriptive; it can tell us about causes but it cannot tell us about purposes. Indeed, science disavows purposes.” In other words, science only tells us what is. It doesn’t tell us… Read more »
one of the most logical,reasonable explanations ive heard,thank u
From what I have heard, masks filter down to 4 microns. But the virus particles are .04 microns. That is literally 100 times smaller. Like trying to stop mosquitoes with a chain link fence.
I believe in CMT…
Critical Mask Theory…
I’m critical of any theory that tells us masks work at protecting anyone from this or any virus…
They (masks) force you to breath in excess CO2 & are loaded with all kinds of nasty bacteria…
#FreeTheFace
I think the fact that the govt and media suppressed the Danish mask study (the largest and most comprehensive available) is what helped keep the fear alive and roll all these restrictions out.
How many more red flags do people need to lose ALL trust in government?
As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.
Josh Billings
Masks are the Talisman for Covidstan. Choking children with a bacteria laden cloth mask is considered responsible in Covidstan by the Karens.
This is an example of how a bad headline can do a disservice to a good article. The New York Magazine article is really superb, but it ran under the headline, “The science of masking kids at school remains uncertain.” That’s milquetoast, and does not accurately describe the article. NY Magazine is lefty and not inclined to criticize the Biden crowd, so maybe editors watered the article down with the headline. They, not the author, often control the headline. Somebody buried what should have been the lede here.
The Center for Deception and Control.
Out: military industrial complex
In: medical industrial complex.
Here’s something to think about. Many people are vaccine hesitant for their own personal reasons. Many have taken the vaccine. Many have not. Question. For those who have NOT taken the vaccine would you get a blood transfusion if needed from a vaccinated person? How would you know if the person was vaccinated? With all the talk about spike proteins-blood clots-viral shedding do you think it would be safe. This info may not come out for a while if true. Maybe a non event. Remember that they said decades ago that you could not get AIDS from a blood transfusion… Read more »
I’m not sure anyone who needs a transfusion actually gets a choice in the matter. At that point it’s life or death. Go with the lesser risk…accepting blood that could have the additional proteins. Frankly, I’d like to only get it from non-gene therapy individuals.
Maybe until we get info it may be wise if someone has elective surgery to donate your own blood. This way you would know for sure.
The antibody drugs are from people who had the virus, and developed natural antibody. Nothing to do with the mRNA vaccine. The fact that antibody testing is NOT being promoted is very telling.
I donate blood every 4 to 5 weeks for years. Since the Covid vaccine came out donated blood is marked as to its status as well as the status of several other dozen parameters. There a need for unvacinnated blood in the supply as well as blood containing the vaccine. You have no choice nor is this status disclosed to you if you needed blood, just like any other status of the blood you get. So its a mute point.
If they had well-constructed studies that show a statistical benefit for masks, you can be sure they would have published them and been all over touting the results. But they have not, so we can be pretty sure that such data does not exist. Thus they rely on “shut up and obey”.
How long will Americans continue to do so?
Well if you look at the cases of Covid in states that have masks mandates, they are less than those without. Isn’t that evidence enough? Look at what’s happening to Florida and Texas. Why people make a big idea over masks is ridiculous. Do you wear a seatbelt, look before you cross the street, use a tissue to blow your nose? I’m a teacher and my students were fine wearing a mask for the entire school year last year and we had absolutely no Covid transmission. It’s not control from the government! It’s doing whatever we can to keep children… Read more »
You didn’t need to point out that you are a teacher. We could tell by your comment.
That’s right! I’m not a scientist but a caregiver! I lead with my heart first! 💜☮️
Michele, you are quite good at making the case against your own position.
That’s not at all what the evidence shows. If you believe this is what the evidence shows, you are being lied to, or, you have a religious belief in ‘masks’ and not a belief in actual science. If you do not believe this, then you are a liar spreading covid misinformation. Either way, it scares the living bejesus out of me that you are teaching children anything.
Here is another one
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7K0BaEUYAUE60G?format=jpg&name=large
Nice! Let’s get rid of comments that go against your beliefs! Unbelievable! Isn’t that what everyone is complaining about-control! Ha ☮️Stay safe 😷
There are also many studies showing that masks do work! It depends on what studies you read! I respect your opinion, but I was trying to make the point that maybe people are overthinking this! I don’t believe wearing masks is a difficult task. I don’t enjoy it or have any religious beliefs, but I sure am sick of the arguments. Can we just all do our part and try to get rid of this divisive deadly virus. That’s all! And please don’t dis teachers! They work tirelessly to teach your children and make sure they’re happy and safe! And… Read more »
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818
Oh and here’s a study in support of masks! Should I post more?
That’s a 7 week study. Now that we have around 18 months the preponderance of the evidence shows that mask effectiveness is inconclusive. Cherry picking a small time frame or a few locations can give you any results that you want. If masks worked we would have conclusive data. Instead we have, “how hard is it to mask up so just do it to show that you want to stop the virus”. That’s not science but wishful thinking.
Here’s conclusive data:
https://www.kxan.com/news/coronavirus/do-face-masks-work-here-are-49-scientific-studies-that-explain-why-they-do/
M, that’s not conclusive data. Also, the general debate about mask efficacy is separate from the specific question of whether masking students has any material benefit. On the broader questions about masks, if you think the science is clear, see our recent column here: https://wirepoints.org/one-pro-and-one-con-piece-on-mask-effectiveness-quickpoint/
Did you even read the report???? 49 scientific studies! See no one wants to hear information they don’t believe. Let’s agree to disagree and let’s leave the poor kids alone! They don’t need more stress in their lives! Masks are not a problem with most kids! It’s an adult issue based on politics and ignorance! They will be fine wearing masks to school! It’s my job to make them feel happy, safe and ready to learn and I bend over backwards to make that happen! Masks or no masks! It’s not as big of a deal that it’s being made… Read more »
M, no this is specifically about masks on school kids, where the CDC itself found no effectiveness (and item 6 in the list you linked to is wrong because the CDC hid that conclusion, as explained in the article above). There is no list of studies showing otherwise, which is also discussed above. I can only hope that you are not teaching math, science or reading.
I love your digs. Keep them coming! You are citing one piece of research! Ok let’s send kids to school with no protection and hope for the best! Brilliant idea! Can we start with your kids? You probably don’t even have any!
Protection for kids from what? Do you know what the mortality risk is for kids from COVID, including Delta that you claim is more dangerous to them?
Yes it’s very low, but if all the kids are sick they don’t come to school and learn! Delta spreads like wildfire!
It seems you don’t understand that using exclamation points does not make your arguments any more valid.
Actually they are used to accentuate my message! And they make me feel better!!!!!!!!
In response to “Masks are not a problem with most kids!” : I have to completely disagree. My own experience – one of my children could not keep her mask on properly and was distracted by it all day last school year. Then, when she tried to wear her glasses they fogged up. I’m homeschooling her this year. One of my other kids has eczema and when she started school this year, her chin broke out causing her pain, especially when she moved her mouth, like to talk or eat. I asked all of my kids what percentage of the… Read more »
https://nypost.com/2021/08/22/study-finds-n95-masks-more-effective-than-surgical-cloth-masks/
Cloth and surgical masks allow 90 or more % of particles to escape. That’s useless. It doesn’t stop the spread, or reduce viral load, or do anything at all, except to make mask wearers feel morally superior to others.
SCIENCE!
It’s not just inconclusive – the burden is on the forced mask wearers to prove they actually work! And they have not.
The real issue is that masks are a badge showing one’s politics and one party wants to force the other party to submit to their belief system.
M, You must not have witnessed debtsor’s other posts. He doesn’t just dis teachers he thinks they are overpaid thieves because they earn a pension. He has admitted to calling his own children’s teachers thieves to their face while picking up his kids from school. He believes you are beneath him and he can’t believe that teachers can earn a living anywhere near where he does. He doesn’t appreciate all that you do and believes you are educated from low grade education mills. These are not my thoughts but rather a sampling of his disdain for teachers. While I don’t… Read more »
Wow 💔we didn’t create pensions and that’s not fair that we are hated for them! Honestly most teachers don’t even realize they have one until they start working! But guess I’m preaching to the choir! Thank you for sharing that information! I think I’ll stay away from this site!
M, you are all too typical of what is common in America– just shutting off information you don’t like — which is particularly reprehensible for a teacher. You are embarrassing the many fine teachers we have.
Mark – I’m not shutting off information! That sounds more like this site and you! There’s an abundance amount of evidence showing masks are effective , as well as those that show they aren’t! That’s one of the problems with this pandemic – too much information on the internet and some of it isn’t true! My point was I worked for 10 months with six year olds that had to wear masks everyday and I did not see any problem with the children! It’s the adults fussing! The kids were fine and when we had mask breaks most of them… Read more »
You are correct PFF. They are pilfering thieves. And they are increasingly becoming leftist authoritarians forcing their disgusting political beliefs upon impressionable children. Their unions donate exclusively to Democrats.
And they do an extremely poor job teaching compared to other countries around the world. What exactly do these teachers do to earn their lucrative pension? Our teachers are some of the best paid IN THE WORLD with their thieving pensions.. ..and we do we get for it? Subpar performance, disgusting belief systems forced on children, and 100% Democrat contributions.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/
Such poor performance, terrible performance in general compared to the world, we spend more on elementary and secondary ‘education’ than almost any other country in the world, and our performance is so poor
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cmd
maybe if we got some value for the lucrative pensions, and the high pay, and the summers off, we as a country could consider it an even trade off.
But it’s a grift as my school’s teachers and administrators stick their hands in the communities’ pockets for their $100k+ salaries and pensions, and they have awful, awful performance to show for it.
You should home school your kids if you think you can do better! Those poor teachers that have to deal with your negativity and then have to work with your child, that’s what’s awful!!
You are so wrong! We don’t share our beliefs with our students! We love them, take care of them like our own and work our butts off to give them the best education possible! I’m sick of taking the blame. Maybe our kids aren’t performing so well because of disfunctional families and a society addicted to technology! I get it you hate teachers and think we are awful people. I can’t change that, but look in the mirror buddy! What have you done for others lately?
Hey M, just an observation but if you are teaching why are you posting all day today if school is in session? You seem to have alot of time to post, shouldn’t you be teaching on a Wed?
I don’t go to school until September and you’re correct! Once I’m back my life is over bc teaching is all consuming and I try not to go out too much to keep my students safe! I’m mad I came across this site. I’ve said nothing for a year and a half and now I can’t stop!!!!
Most commenters here love teachers. We respect the skill, energy, persistence and fortitude that most techers professionally perform every day. What we oppose are TEACHERS UNIONS. Teachers unions – especially near-terrorist organizations like CTU – have morphed into highly leftist and bullying, violent political organizations. CTU has become the storm troopers of the Chicago Democrat Machine. Period. Check out what your union dues are being spent on and what politicians are being funded with your money and see if they share your values. Thanks to the Janus decree you can leave your union and stop paying union dues. If you… Read more »
The delta variant is more dangerous to children. That’s all I need to hear. I will do anything to keep my own children and my school families safe! I know, I’m a terrible person! As for unions, they’ve slowly left our country. That’s sad! Wouldn’t you want someone standing up for your hard work so you can get paid a decent salary and have reasonable benefits! Oh right you guys are anti American. Comparing them to terrorist organizations are a bit extreme, don’t you think? They don’t kill people!! I guess any group that tries to help others is bad… Read more »
Have you ever encountered the CTU “Red For Ed” thugs in person? I have. Describing them as bullying, violent terrorists is, sadly, accurate. I have nothing against private sector unions but Public Sector unions are another matter. President Franklin Roosevelt opposed public sector unions because of this fundamental fact: Taxpayers don’t actually negotiate with the public employee unions. Oftentimes Union members are negotiating with other Union members (or with politicians that they helped elect) and then sticking taxpayers with the tab. Worse it is likely that those unions actually capture legislators and government officials via campaign contributions. That is exactly… Read more »
hate to break it to you but we’re never gonna ” get rid” of this virus
Good point and case learn to live with it , like you said it’s here to stay, just like the flu, cancer, diabetes,heart disease etc etc etc
Yes. It will become part of the normal cocktail of fall/winter preventative flu shots.
It can be bothersome when the science doesn’t support the narrative, but fear not, we simply discard that which we do not agree with.
“In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”
That was Churchill … in wartime. One might say we find ourselves in an escalating culture war. In that case, the culture warriors can be expected to lie.
Who decides? And how can their opponents propagate truth as far and fast as they spread their lies … with the media and many politicians including Potus shouting the nonsense?
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.” Elvis Presley
The white liars (assuming they are well-intentioned) just haven’t caught up to the times. Even with MSM and tech platforms rigging the message, the truth today ultimately gets out faster than in Churchill’s days.
Can you explain what the truth is? The reality is we are deep in a pandemic with over 600,000 Americans dead! No one is trying to control us! This is uncharted territory. Scientists are trying to help and people are calling them liars!So what’s your answer? ??No masks, no vaccinations, no precautions, just go about life pretending hundreds of people aren’t dying every day! I’m sick of the arguments! What are we to do then? Everyone’s so big on government control! They’re trying to keep people alive! If you don’t agree then stay home! Help me understand why you think… Read more »
Hey M, take a breath. It is not us that should stay home, we should have the freedom to do what we want. The people that are scared of the virus should stay home, nowadays you can get everything delivered. They can wear masks but there shouldn’t be mandates in place for everyone. If you are scared then don’t go out and if you go out wear your mask, that simple. Don’t force everyone to do that, if I don’t want to wear a mask then I shouldn’t have to, and if I want to go out then I am… Read more »
I agree with you! I’m not scared of the virus but when I’m in the room with 20 first graders I can’t be free from it! How would I live with myself if I were to blame for getting a child sick bc I didn’t want to wear a mask at a crowded event? Or in the classroom? It’s not about us as individuals, we’re supposed to be looking out for each other in this country! I wear a mask for the unvaccinated people that don’t! And for my family and students. It saddens me that people are all about… Read more »
Well let me say this then, if someone is going thru Chemo or some other treatment that severely reduces their immune system do you wear a mask to protect them? I don’t think you do. If you knew you probably would but how many of us know this, almost zero. That is because it is not all over the media and they aren’t documenting every single case out there for people that are going thru these treatments which is in the millions. These folks need to look out for themselves because noone else is. So why is it any different… Read more »
I misstated. I wear a mask for EVERYONE ELSE not for myself! And I hope if someones health is compromised and they see me wearing a mask they know I care!!! I don’t think it’s my government controlling me and if I’m mandated to wear a mask at school I wear it. I don’t think it’s harmful for children to wear masks! So if it’s proven that masks were not helpful down the road, then so be it! It wasn’t that big of a deal! Instead of everyone arguing come up with solutions and help each other. Agree to disagree… Read more »
I am not even talking about the kids, but you really never answered my question I listed above. You are talking wearing a mask now but you never did before, why?
I’ve been wearing one all along and then stopped when things got better this summer and mandates were lifted. But I am wearing again when I’m inside with many people bc of delta. I will have to wear it when I go back to school, but to me it’s not a big deal. I’d prefer no masks of course, but the kids I work with are unvaccinated and masks, I believe, are another layer of protection, just like washing hands. Hmmmm I wonder if you all avoid doing that too!
Under what circumstances would you be comfortable not wearing a mask? If the covid situation never gets much better than it is now (a distinct possibility) then what? Masks forever? Everyone wants to scream from the top of their lungs if they are vaccinated and insist that others do so as well. That means they believe the vaccines work well. Personally, I am vaccinated AND believe they are the best way to prevent death if one contracts covid. What I can’t stand however is that the goalposts keep moving and the very same people that are outspoken proponents of vaccines… Read more »
i personally wear 6 masks,in the shower,in bed,and in my toyota,prius,BUT,i eat mcdonalds every day and lots of donuts!-oh yeah,i get a vaccination every tuesday and thursday,sometimes on saturday cuz thats what overweight Allison Arwady recommends,that dogone covids not gonna get me!-please people,mask up,get a vaccine shot every day,and wear your mask whether your sleeping by yourself,hanging out with JB,Allison or Lori,OR Jesse Snarkey cuz thats what we’re told to do by these over weight ” health experts-please stop trying to kill me!!
Sounds like we’re in for a lot of could, should, and maybe. The medical masters of the universe will display their unwillingness to explain things without a confuse and conquer justification. I’m still seeing neighbors who wear masks everywhere. I think they’re nuts!