BOSTON (AP) – As COVID-19 cases increase nationwide, most Americans say they support mask warrants for students and teachers in K-12 schools, according to a new survey , but their views are sharply divided into political lines.
According to a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, approximately 6 out of ten Americans say students and teachers should wear masks when they are at school. Similar particles say that eligible teachers and students should also receive a vaccine against COVID-19.
Masks have been a point of controversy as American schools reopen amid a growing number of coronavirus cases. Questions about whether to require them have caused turmoil between parents and politicians, and some Republican governors are banning masked mandates even while President Joe Biden is threatening legal action against them.
In a reflection of this polarizing debate, the poll finds a great partisan division. About 3 out of 10 Republicans said they were in favor of mask requirements for students and teachers, compared to about 8 out of 10 Democrats. There was a similar division in vaccination mandates in schools.
Some of the country’s largest school districts will require masks for all students and staff this fall, including New York City. He’s fine with Budhiono Riyanto, 37, of Queens, who will send his son, Gabriel, 7, to school next month.
“I understand personal choice, I understand personal freedom. But when it comes to public health, we should all look at each other, ”Riyanto said. “The best protection so far is to mask and vaccinate.”
Others say masks should not be imposed on children.
Kim Oldfield, who lives in rural Jessieville, Arkansas, said the masks are unpopular in her area. He opposes the idea of a mandate and says it should be a decision of the families. In your local school district, masks are optional this fall.
“America is supposed to be the land of the free,” Oldfield, 70, said. “And when the government starts getting into your personal life and makes you do things you don’t want to do, people don’t like that.”
The survey shows that parents are slightly less likely to endure mask requirements than the wider population. Fifty-two percent of parents with school-age children said they supported a child mandate, while 28% opposed it, with a similar division of mandates for teachers.
There were also racial differences: about two-thirds of black parents said they respond to mask mandates for teachers and students, compared to about half of white and Hispanic parents.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended the universal use of masks for teachers and students inside school buildings this fall, citing the rapid spread of the delta variant.
In some areas with school mask mandates, tensions have risen in recent weeks. Protesters who opposed the mask requirements have filled Maryland school board meetings in California, in some cases altering meetings and forcing them to postpone them.
Most states allow school districts to establish their own mask policies, but some including California, Illinois, and Louisiana require masks for students and teachers statewide. At least eight Republican-led states have banned universal mask mandates in schools, including those in Texas, Florida and Tennessee.
In Land O ‘Lakes, Florida, Gail Jackson is concerned about sending her 12-year-old grandson to a school where masks are optional. His grandson, Zahkai, wears a mask, he said, but some of his classmates don’t.
“I don’t know how everything will unfold in the end,” said Jackson, 74, who is Zahkai’s legal guardian. “My prayer is that one way or another, an angel will come over and allow these children to grow and mature without being in a hospital with a ventilator.”
Compared to mask mandates, school vaccination requirements have been infrequent. Some states and local districts have required vaccines for teachers, saying those who refuse should get regular virus tests. Some others have taken a tougher stance, including Washington state, which says teachers should be inoculated or fired.
Last week it was believed that the unified district of Culver City, near Los Angeles, was the first in the United States to require vaccines for all eligible students this fall. But student vaccination warrants are still uncommon and shots are not yet approved for children under 12.
The survey shows that 59% of Americans support vaccination requirements for teachers and almost as many (55%) say the same for students 12 years of age or older who meet the requirements for vaccination. Among parents, support was lower, with 42% support for vaccine warrants for students.
Vaccinated parents were more likely to endure mask and vaccine requirements than unvaccinated parents.
Jeff Hicklin in Falmouth, Maine, said he supports mask and vaccine mandates for eligible teachers and students. He says it’s the best way to protect those who are too young to get vaccinated, including his 7-year-old son Oscar.
“We have to do everything we can to keep schools open and safe,” said Hicklin, 40, an accountant.
In Menomonie, Wisconsin, Erik Pederstuen has been vaccinated and plans to have his 9-year-old daughter inoculated once he is eligible. But Pederstuen, a technical instructor at the university, said he does not believe coronavirus vaccines should be a requirement.
“I’m not at all anti-vaccine, I’ve never liked the idea being forced,” said Pederstuen, 40. “I think everyone should get it, but I think it should be your choice.”
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Fingerhut reported from Washington.
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The AP-NORC survey of 1,729 adults was conducted August 12-16 using a sample taken from the AmeriSpeak panel based on NORC probabilities, designed to be representative of the American population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is approximately 3.2 percentage points.