Show us an example of a European school which did not go remote when the local community positive test rate was above 10%. (EDITED)
Re-opening Schools in the era of COVID
- Thread starter gwb-trading
- Start date
Show us an example of a European school which did not go remote when the local community positive test rate was above 10%. (EDITED)
did you have a stroke mid sentence?
Schools superintendent talks about the 'big tragedy' happening across America
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/08/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html
Aurging Covid-19 cases -- and the increasing proportion reported in children -- are causing many health experts to worry about the outlook as the school year gets underway across the entire country.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci said there shouldn't be a big uptick "if we do it right."
"We've gotta get the school system masked in addition to surrounding the children with vaccinated people," the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. "That's the solution."
In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 13 school employees have died from Covid-19 since August 16, the school district and local teacher union told CNN. All 13 -- three teachers, one security monitor, one cafeteria worker and seven school bus drivers -- were unvaccinated, they said.
"I think this underscores the big tragedy that we see occurring across America," Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Tuesday.
"Even though in my community, 98% of individuals have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, there is still a lag specific to individuals that represent ethnic minorities in Miami-Dade."
The 13 school employees who died were African Americans and were unvaccinated, according to their families, Carvalho said.
Since vaccine mandates are illegal in Florida, the best thing Carvalho can do is offer incentives to teachers to get fully vaccinated, including a $275 stipend to any employee who shows proof of vaccination, he said.
Schools, particularly in the South, started their new year in August and many districts, notably those without mask measures in place, saw an explosion of cases.
Doctors and experts warn it could happen again when students in much of the rest of the country return to school after the Labor Day weekend unless there is strong action to keep the virus in check.
Fauci stressed masks in schools and vaccination for those eligible are crucial.
While officials believe the federal government is limited on broadly mandating vaccines, President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a major address this week on the next phase of the pandemic, which will include components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees, two sources familiar with the speech told CNN.
Ahead of the speech, poll data from Gallup on Tuesday showed more Americans now disagree than agree that Biden and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have communicated a clear plan of action in response to Covid-19.
The speech also comes as the impact of the pandemic on schools becomes clearer.
Children now represent 26.8% of the weekly Covid-19 cases, according to new data released Tuesday. Over two weeks, from August 19 to September 2, there was a 10% increase in the cumulated number of Covid-19 cases in children since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
(More at above url)
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/08/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html
Aurging Covid-19 cases -- and the increasing proportion reported in children -- are causing many health experts to worry about the outlook as the school year gets underway across the entire country.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci said there shouldn't be a big uptick "if we do it right."
"We've gotta get the school system masked in addition to surrounding the children with vaccinated people," the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. "That's the solution."
In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 13 school employees have died from Covid-19 since August 16, the school district and local teacher union told CNN. All 13 -- three teachers, one security monitor, one cafeteria worker and seven school bus drivers -- were unvaccinated, they said.
"I think this underscores the big tragedy that we see occurring across America," Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Tuesday.
"Even though in my community, 98% of individuals have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, there is still a lag specific to individuals that represent ethnic minorities in Miami-Dade."
The 13 school employees who died were African Americans and were unvaccinated, according to their families, Carvalho said.
Since vaccine mandates are illegal in Florida, the best thing Carvalho can do is offer incentives to teachers to get fully vaccinated, including a $275 stipend to any employee who shows proof of vaccination, he said.
Schools, particularly in the South, started their new year in August and many districts, notably those without mask measures in place, saw an explosion of cases.
Doctors and experts warn it could happen again when students in much of the rest of the country return to school after the Labor Day weekend unless there is strong action to keep the virus in check.
Fauci stressed masks in schools and vaccination for those eligible are crucial.
While officials believe the federal government is limited on broadly mandating vaccines, President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a major address this week on the next phase of the pandemic, which will include components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees, two sources familiar with the speech told CNN.
Ahead of the speech, poll data from Gallup on Tuesday showed more Americans now disagree than agree that Biden and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have communicated a clear plan of action in response to Covid-19.
The speech also comes as the impact of the pandemic on schools becomes clearer.
Children now represent 26.8% of the weekly Covid-19 cases, according to new data released Tuesday. Over two weeks, from August 19 to September 2, there was a 10% increase in the cumulated number of Covid-19 cases in children since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
(More at above url)
Children in much of Europe will be going maskless at school this fall.
Anthony LaMesa
Aug 17·6 min read
From Iceland to Denmark and England to Switzerland, many European children — and their teachers — won’t be donning masks when they return to classrooms.
Despite rising tensions over school mask mandates in the United States — with even the head-of-state bizarrely intervening — the mask question is less controversial in much of Europe, a continent where many countries will have mask-free learning environments this fall.
Most students in the United Kingdom — the UK’s constituent nations determine education and health policy — and Ireland won’t be masking up next year.
In Wales and England, face masks won’t be required for any students this fall, although English students will be encouraged to mask in crowded areas, such as buses. Secondary students in Northern Irelandwill begin the year masking in classrooms, but the rule will be reviewed and the education minister is hopeful it will be lifted. Similarly, in Scotland, secondary students will mask in their classrooms for about six weeks after school starts this week — so all staff have the opportunity to get fully vaccinated — but the education minister hopes the rule can be lifted “as soon as possible”:
She added: “Of course we would like to take these restrictions off as soon as possible. We think they might be in place for up to six weeks, that’s to ensure that all the staff within our schools have the opportunity to be fully doubly vaccinated.
“But if we can take those restrictions — particularly the face masks — off earlier then of course we would do that.”
In Ireland, face masks are not recommended for children under 13. For schools, this means face masks are not required in Irish primary schools, but are required in secondary schools.
Iceland will only require face masks for upper secondary students when moving about their schools (e.g. hallways), but not when seated in classrooms. Masks are not required anywhere in Iceland for children born in 2006 and later.
Norway has never recommended face masks at any level of schooling. Indeed, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health explicitly advises against masking primary school-aged children.
In Sweden, where masks are no longer even recommended on public transit at rush hour, masks have never been recommended or required in the country’s schools, either primary or secondary. They will not be recommended when schools open this month.
Across the Øresund Bridge in Denmark, the situation is similar. Denmark has lifted its requirement to wear a face mask while standing on public transit and masks are no longer required in any public settings apart from airports and international flights. Denmark’s school reopening guidance doesn’t mention masks and the priority is as much normalcy as possible, given the country’s high vaccination rate:
“We would very much like to help get schooling back to normal as it was before the coronavirus epidemic,” said Andreas Rudkjøbing, a doctor at the authority in a press release announcing the new guidelines. “Therefore, our priority is to ensure that the schools remain open as far as possible.”
In Finland, masks are recommended for the oldest primary and secondary students in the Uusimaa (Helsinki) region, but not recommended for younger students. Mask guidance varies throughout the country’s regions, but mostly takes the form of recommendations based on trusting the public.
The Netherlands recently announced masks won’t be necessary for primary students or teachers this year and will only be required for secondary students and teachers when they are actively moving around their schools (e.g. hallways). The secondary mask requirement could potentially be dropped when coronavirus regulations are reviewed in late September.
In the heart of Europe, Switzerland will no longer require masks for secondary students this fall, although individual cantons can still require them. Both the German- and French-speaking teachers’ unions are focused on maintaining good ventilation — with carbon dioxide monitors — and widespread testing:
“Cantons that already implemented regular Corona tests in schools, such as Graubünden, found them a successful measure. It is up to each canton to decide if they want to implement regular corona tests in schools [in the new term],” Beat A. Schwendimann, board member of the LCH, told swissinfo.ch in email comments.
Next door to Switzerland, Austria will require face masks for the first 14 days of the school year, but students will be able to remove their masks once seated in classrooms. After the initial period of masking, extension of the requirement will depend on local infection rates.
While teachers and students must be masked at both the primary and secondary levels in large European countries like Spain,France,and Italy, children under 6 won’t have to mask in nursery schools and child care settings. Unlike the U.S. CDC, the ECDC does not recommend masking children under 6, which is consistent with WHO guidance on child masking.
Why are European countries — both in and out of the European Union — masking their children less than the United States?
There are many potential factors at play and it’s only possible to speculate.
One reason may be that the ECDC does not recommend masking primary students at all. Education and health are member state competencies (i.e. not controlled by the EU), but ECDC’s guidance is still important.
Source: Questions and answers on COVID-19: Children aged 1–18 years and the role of school settings
Another reason could be that interpersonal trust is higher in most European countries than the United States. Because of this, parents and the policymakers representing them may feel less need to protect children from each other with masks. That said, interpersonal trust is even lower in the United Kingdom — where there’s minimal student masking — than the United States.
Comprehensive paid sick leave for all workers — including for dependent care — might play a role. In the European Union and United Kingdom, all workers are entitled to generous paid leave, which means it’s easier for parents to avoid sending sick kids to school. In Sweden, there was a 24% increase in parents taking paid leave to care for sick children in 2020 compared to 2019. If policymakers are more confident parents will be able to keep their sick children home from school, they may feel less of a need to mandate masks.
It is true that larger shares of many European populations are vaccinated than the populations of many U.S. states, but some of the U.S. metro areas most committed to masking children — for example, the Bay Area and Seattle — have vaccination rates comparable to the Nordic countries. And Florida (50.5% fully vaccinated) — reviled by the Biden administration for not mandating masks — is currently at about the same place as Switzerland (50.3% fully vaccinated).
Another reason for less masking in Europe than the U.S. may be that policymakers see other interventions as more important. For example, Finland treats ventilating — “airing” — classrooms as an important job for students. In the Netherlands, unvaccinated secondary students and teachers are requested to self-test two times a week. Meanwhile, Norway will phase out quarantines and widely deploy rapid tests to keep schools safe and students learning.
It’s also important to note that Nordic countries have always viewed face masks as supplementary to other measures, like physical distancing and staying home when sick. In contrast to Northern Europe, U.S. public health experts and politicians — even many Republicans — seem to treat masks as the most important intervention.
Where are children less likely to mask?
While the European countries discussed here have not banned school mask mandates, like Texas and Florida have done, their policies are functionally equivalent, because education officials and school leaders are unlikely to flout national public health guidance. This means that, just like in Tallahassee and Amarillo, parents in Copenhagen and Amsterdam are free to mask their own children at school, but cannot count on other children being masked.
In a sense, one could argue that some European guidance is effectively even more anti-mask than the policies in some U.S. states, because national health guidance actively discourages masking young children in countries like Sweden, Norway and Ireland. And, of course, the social and cultural pressure to avoid masking one’s children will also be stronger in countries where the official government advice discourages the practice.
It’s important to recognize, though, that the U.S. is not Europe. And that some states — like Mississippi and Alabama — have both anti-mask policies and extremely low vaccination rates. On the other hand, Switzerland and Florida have comparable vaccination rates. Given the complicated politics surrounding reopening schools and masking children in the U.S., it may be useful to reflect on how other high-income countries are using — or not using — non-medical masks in their schools.
Children in much of Europe will be going maskless at school this fall.
Anthony LaMesa
Aug 17·6 min read
From Iceland to Denmark and England to Switzerland, many European children — and their teachers — won’t be donning masks when they return to classrooms.
Despite rising tensions over school mask mandates in the United States — with even the head-of-state bizarrely intervening — the mask question is less controversial in much of Europe, a continent where many countries will have mask-free learning environments this fall.
Most students in the United Kingdom — the UK’s constituent nations determine education and health policy — and Ireland won’t be masking up next year.
In Wales and England, face masks won’t be required for any students this fall, although English students will be encouraged to mask in crowded areas, such as buses. Secondary students in Northern Irelandwill begin the year masking in classrooms, but the rule will be reviewed and the education minister is hopeful it will be lifted. Similarly, in Scotland, secondary students will mask in their classrooms for about six weeks after school starts this week — so all staff have the opportunity to get fully vaccinated — but the education minister hopes the rule can be lifted “as soon as possible”:
She added: “Of course we would like to take these restrictions off as soon as possible. We think they might be in place for up to six weeks, that’s to ensure that all the staff within our schools have the opportunity to be fully doubly vaccinated.
“But if we can take those restrictions — particularly the face masks — off earlier then of course we would do that.”
In Ireland, face masks are not recommended for children under 13. For schools, this means face masks are not required in Irish primary schools, but are required in secondary schools.
Iceland will only require face masks for upper secondary students when moving about their schools (e.g. hallways), but not when seated in classrooms. Masks are not required anywhere in Iceland for children born in 2006 and later.
Norway has never recommended face masks at any level of schooling. Indeed, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health explicitly advises against masking primary school-aged children.
In Sweden, where masks are no longer even recommended on public transit at rush hour, masks have never been recommended or required in the country’s schools, either primary or secondary. They will not be recommended when schools open this month.
Across the Øresund Bridge in Denmark, the situation is similar. Denmark has lifted its requirement to wear a face mask while standing on public transit and masks are no longer required in any public settings apart from airports and international flights. Denmark’s school reopening guidance doesn’t mention masks and the priority is as much normalcy as possible, given the country’s high vaccination rate:
“We would very much like to help get schooling back to normal as it was before the coronavirus epidemic,” said Andreas Rudkjøbing, a doctor at the authority in a press release announcing the new guidelines. “Therefore, our priority is to ensure that the schools remain open as far as possible.”
In Finland, masks are recommended for the oldest primary and secondary students in the Uusimaa (Helsinki) region, but not recommended for younger students. Mask guidance varies throughout the country’s regions, but mostly takes the form of recommendations based on trusting the public.
The Netherlands recently announced masks won’t be necessary for primary students or teachers this year and will only be required for secondary students and teachers when they are actively moving around their schools (e.g. hallways). The secondary mask requirement could potentially be dropped when coronavirus regulations are reviewed in late September.
In the heart of Europe, Switzerland will no longer require masks for secondary students this fall, although individual cantons can still require them. Both the German- and French-speaking teachers’ unions are focused on maintaining good ventilation — with carbon dioxide monitors — and widespread testing:
“Cantons that already implemented regular Corona tests in schools, such as Graubünden, found them a successful measure. It is up to each canton to decide if they want to implement regular corona tests in schools [in the new term],” Beat A. Schwendimann, board member of the LCH, told swissinfo.ch in email comments.
Next door to Switzerland, Austria will require face masks for the first 14 days of the school year, but students will be able to remove their masks once seated in classrooms. After the initial period of masking, extension of the requirement will depend on local infection rates.
While teachers and students must be masked at both the primary and secondary levels in large European countries like Spain,France,and Italy, children under 6 won’t have to mask in nursery schools and child care settings. Unlike the U.S. CDC, the ECDC does not recommend masking children under 6, which is consistent with WHO guidance on child masking.
Why are European countries — both in and out of the European Union — masking their children less than the United States?
There are many potential factors at play and it’s only possible to speculate.
One reason may be that the ECDC does not recommend masking primary students at all. Education and health are member state competencies (i.e. not controlled by the EU), but ECDC’s guidance is still important.
Source: Questions and answers on COVID-19: Children aged 1–18 years and the role of school settings
Another reason could be that interpersonal trust is higher in most European countries than the United States. Because of this, parents and the policymakers representing them may feel less need to protect children from each other with masks. That said, interpersonal trust is even lower in the United Kingdom — where there’s minimal student masking — than the United States.
Comprehensive paid sick leave for all workers — including for dependent care — might play a role. In the European Union and United Kingdom, all workers are entitled to generous paid leave, which means it’s easier for parents to avoid sending sick kids to school. In Sweden, there was a 24% increase in parents taking paid leave to care for sick children in 2020 compared to 2019. If policymakers are more confident parents will be able to keep their sick children home from school, they may feel less of a need to mandate masks.
It is true that larger shares of many European populations are vaccinated than the populations of many U.S. states, but some of the U.S. metro areas most committed to masking children — for example, the Bay Area and Seattle — have vaccination rates comparable to the Nordic countries. And Florida (50.5% fully vaccinated) — reviled by the Biden administration for not mandating masks — is currently at about the same place as Switzerland (50.3% fully vaccinated).
Another reason for less masking in Europe than the U.S. may be that policymakers see other interventions as more important. For example, Finland treats ventilating — “airing” — classrooms as an important job for students. In the Netherlands, unvaccinated secondary students and teachers are requested to self-test two times a week. Meanwhile, Norway will phase out quarantines and widely deploy rapid tests to keep schools safe and students learning.
It’s also important to note that Nordic countries have always viewed face masks as supplementary to other measures, like physical distancing and staying home when sick. In contrast to Northern Europe, U.S. public health experts and politicians — even many Republicans — seem to treat masks as the most important intervention.
Where are children less likely to mask?
While the European countries discussed here have not banned school mask mandates, like Texas and Florida have done, their policies are functionally equivalent, because education officials and school leaders are unlikely to flout national public health guidance. This means that, just like in Tallahassee and Amarillo, parents in Copenhagen and Amsterdam are free to mask their own children at school, but cannot count on other children being masked.
In a sense, one could argue that some European guidance is effectively even more anti-mask than the policies in some U.S. states, because national health guidance actively discourages masking young children in countries like Sweden, Norway and Ireland. And, of course, the social and cultural pressure to avoid masking one’s children will also be stronger in countries where the official government advice discourages the practice.
It’s important to recognize, though, that the U.S. is not Europe. And that some states — like Mississippi and Alabama — have both anti-mask policies and extremely low vaccination rates. On the other hand, Switzerland and Florida have comparable vaccination rates. Given the complicated politics surrounding reopening schools and masking children in the U.S., it may be useful to reflect on how other high-income countries are using — or not using — non-medical masks in their schools.
While this is informative about masks in European K-12 schools -- and matches what I stated earlier.
It does not cover the criteria for schools going remote in Europe when community spread is high.
Because schools don't always go remote in Europe when community spread is high. Oh, I'm sure you can show me examples, but that isn't always true.
Fact is, Europe takes a pragmatic approach towards schools and masks and COVId, while you and other religious zealots have lost your minds.
Are you saying that schools in Europe don't follow WHO and EU recommendations. The vast majority do follow the recommendations about not holding in-person schooling when local community spread is high.
WHO guidance:
First, children 5 and younger never wear a mask. Ever. They understand the developmental needs of children to see faces and the social development risk to masking them. They get it.
We here in the US (because of religious zealots like yourself) believe otherwise and require mask wearing. Hell, we make toddlers wear masks on airplanes and then kick off the parents and whole family when they can't keep a mask on a toddler throwing a fit.
Second, "widespread transmission in the area" is not defined in the article.
Not in the US!
Should children wear a mask?
WHO advises that people always consult and abide by local authorities on recommended practices in their area. An international and multidisciplinary expert group brought together by WHO reviewed evidence on COVID-19 disease and transmission in children and the limited available evidence on the use of masks by children.
Based on this and other factors such as childrens’ psychosocial needs and developmental milestones, WHO and UNICEF advise the following:
Children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.
WHO and UNICEF advise that the decision to use masks for children aged 6-11 should be based on the following factors:
More on the types of masks, how to choose them, and how to wear them is available here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/dis...9/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
Are there situations where children aged 5 years and under may wear or be required to wear a mask?
In general, children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This advice is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance. There may be local requirements for children aged 5 years and under to wear masks, or specific needs in some settings, such as being physically close to someone who is ill. In these circumstances, if the child wears a mask, a parent or other guardian should be within direct line of sight to supervise the safe use of the mask.
WHO advises that people always consult and abide by local authorities on recommended practices in their area. An international and multidisciplinary expert group brought together by WHO reviewed evidence on COVID-19 disease and transmission in children and the limited available evidence on the use of masks by children.
Based on this and other factors such as childrens’ psychosocial needs and developmental milestones, WHO and UNICEF advise the following:
Children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.
WHO and UNICEF advise that the decision to use masks for children aged 6-11 should be based on the following factors:
- Whether there is widespread transmission in the area where the child resides
- The ability of the child to safely and appropriately use a mask
- Access to masks, as well as laundering and replacement of masks in certain settings (such as schools and childcare services)
- Adequate adult supervision and instructions to the child on how to put on, take off and safely wear masks
- Potential impact of wearing a mask on learning and psychosocial development, in consultation with teachers, parents/caregivers and/or medical providers
- Specific settings and interactions the child has with other people who are at high risk of developing serious illness, such as the elderly and those with other underlying health conditions
More on the types of masks, how to choose them, and how to wear them is available here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/dis...9/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
Are there situations where children aged 5 years and under may wear or be required to wear a mask?
In general, children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This advice is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance. There may be local requirements for children aged 5 years and under to wear masks, or specific needs in some settings, such as being physically close to someone who is ill. In these circumstances, if the child wears a mask, a parent or other guardian should be within direct line of sight to supervise the safe use of the mask.
First, children 5 and younger never wear a mask. Ever. They understand the developmental needs of children to see faces and the social development risk to masking them. They get it.
We here in the US (because of religious zealots like yourself) believe otherwise and require mask wearing. Hell, we make toddlers wear masks on airplanes and then kick off the parents and whole family when they can't keep a mask on a toddler throwing a fit.
Second, "widespread transmission in the area" is not defined in the article.
Should children with developmental disabilities wear masks?
The use of masks for children of any age with developmental disorders, disabilities or other specific health conditions should not be mandatory and be assessed on a case by case basis by the child’s parent, guardian, educator and/or medical provider. In any case, children with severe cognitive or respiratory impairments with difficulties tolerating a mask should not be required to wear masks.
The use of masks for children of any age with developmental disorders, disabilities or other specific health conditions should not be mandatory and be assessed on a case by case basis by the child’s parent, guardian, educator and/or medical provider. In any case, children with severe cognitive or respiratory impairments with difficulties tolerating a mask should not be required to wear masks.
Not in the US!
Some background - in North Carolina the county school boards are allowed to determine the masking policy for the local school system in the county. Most counties in suburban areas started the school year with masks. Some rural red counties started the school year without masks.
What are the results after three weeks -- Nearly all the counties that started without masks had to close their schools or quickly adopted mask policies. The few school districts such as Union County which refused to implement mask policies have 1 in 8 students out on quarantine. Compare that to the state's largest school system, Wake County, which uses masks and has a mere 1% of it students out on quarantine.
North Carolina Schools See Major COVID Spread As Year Begins
https://www.publicradioeast.org/post/north-carolina-schools-see-major-covid-spread-year-begins
North Carolina K-12 public school districts are seeing high levels of COVID-19 transmission as the new academic years gets underway. Spread is particularly bad in places where mask wearing is optional. Dozens of districts entering the school year without a mask mandate have reversed course, but a few holdouts still remain. Roughly 1 in 8 pupils at Union County Public Schools were under quarantine last week after the district decided not to require masks. The state's largest school system, Wake County, forces pupils to wear a face covering. Less than 1% of its students are currently under quarantine. About 95% of K-12 public school students in the state are currently covered by a mask mandate.
What are the results after three weeks -- Nearly all the counties that started without masks had to close their schools or quickly adopted mask policies. The few school districts such as Union County which refused to implement mask policies have 1 in 8 students out on quarantine. Compare that to the state's largest school system, Wake County, which uses masks and has a mere 1% of it students out on quarantine.
North Carolina Schools See Major COVID Spread As Year Begins
https://www.publicradioeast.org/post/north-carolina-schools-see-major-covid-spread-year-begins
North Carolina K-12 public school districts are seeing high levels of COVID-19 transmission as the new academic years gets underway. Spread is particularly bad in places where mask wearing is optional. Dozens of districts entering the school year without a mask mandate have reversed course, but a few holdouts still remain. Roughly 1 in 8 pupils at Union County Public Schools were under quarantine last week after the district decided not to require masks. The state's largest school system, Wake County, forces pupils to wear a face covering. Less than 1% of its students are currently under quarantine. About 95% of K-12 public school students in the state are currently covered by a mask mandate.
First, this has nothing to do with WHO rules that we don't follow in the US, which you dodged (again).
Second, three weeks isn't enough time to judge anything.
Third, post all the school data - the actual data - if you want to compare. Not just emotional shrieking pretending to show a trend when no trend has been statistically established.
Fourth, other variables behind the success of Wake County is likely because that county hasn't been hit hard with COVID vs other more western and southern "Red" counties (as you call them). Yet. this could be changing soon as NC is now experiencing their own spike. I know, DeSantis is at fault.
So it naturally figures schools would be hit less as well. This doesn't mean it is precisely correlated to mask usage.
And lastly, ONCE AGAIN, quarantining students does not mean they have COVID. It just means you set a rule that requires them to go home once potentially exposed. You can't judge schools together based on quarantines because it is subjective in its decision making process.
Once again, you show yourself to woefully inadequate at actually understanding how to interpret data.