Statewide K-12 mask mandate needed

Uncomfortable and, at times, outright disturbing. That's what it was like to watch the most recent Anoka-Hennepin school board meeting this week.

At issue were mask requirements and other mitigation measures for students set to return to the classroom Sept. 7 in the state's largest district. With the lapse of Gov. Tim Walz's COVID-19 emergency authority, it falls to local leaders to safeguard students during a resurgent pandemic.

The unruly public comment period at Anoka-Hennepin's Aug. 23 meeting made it clear why Minnesota schools following masking recommendations and other steps recommended by medical experts alarmingly remain the exception across the state. While those for and against masking testified in roughly equal number, the "against" crowd created an intimidating atmosphere.

Shrill protestations interrupted a young immunocompromised student and other mask advocates. At the microphone, anti-maskers sometimes strayed into troubling territory, framing this as a fight not against "flesh and blood" enemies but against "rulers and authorities and darkness who want to use kids as pawns."

As school board members debated, the overflow crowd began singing the "Hey, hey, hey goodbye" song usually heard at hockey games.

Fortunately, Anoka-Hennepin board members were not cowed and approved a plan linking in-school masking for students and staff to COVID's community spread. For now, that means masking in K-6 settings. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend indoor masking in all grades — as well as distancing, testing and ventilation — this measure provides some protection for kids under 12 who aren't yet eligible for the vaccine.

Unfortunately, too many Minnesota districts have yet to take a similar step. If local leaders aren't willing to act as pediatric COVID cases rise sharply nationally, Gov. Tim Walz needs to wield emergency authority to require masks for K-12 students and staff.

Frustratingly, there is no official state list of Minnesota schools requiring masks. But a tally kept by Minnesota Public Radio indicates that it's generally metro districts and large regional cities with varying mask requirements in place.

This urban-rural gap is troubling. The vaccine remains the best weapon against COVID, but vaccination rates tend to lag in less populated counties. That means school masks typically aren't required where they're needed most. Well-fitting masks, especially N-95 and other high-filtration models, are an essential tool to protect kids from COVID and prevent them from spreading it.

Masks as an opt-in strategy didn't work well in Anoka-Hennepin summer classes, where, at best, up to 25% of students masked up. Nor has this approach worked well in the South, where school has already resumed. In Florida, many school districts have shifted rapidly to require masking as the state has become a viral hot spot. "Almost immediately after school started, we saw transmission rates spike," a Sarasota County schools spokeswoman told an editorial writer.

With Minnesota and Florida having nearly identical vaccination rates for 18 and up, there's little reason not to expect a similar spike here as schools resume. Dr. Anupama Kalaskar, a Children's Minnesota pediatric infectious disease specialist, also noted that while children are at lower risk of severe COVID than adults, this knowledge is based on experience with the less infectious original strain of the virus. "It's sort of like comparing apples and oranges," she said.

Should Walz act, he would need lawmakers' support to continue the mask requirement. Peacetime emergency authority can only be maintained for 30 days before calling the Legislature back into session. In a statement, Walz said taking this step now without first working with lawmakers "could do more harm than good toward the goal of encouraging Minnesotans to adopt strategies that will keep them safe."

That reluctance is unfortunate. Florida and other Southern states are scrambling to contain school outbreaks. Minnesota still has a narrow window to prevent them. Will it?