Школа в Чарльз-Каунти запретила ученикам носить медицинские маски без справки врача

An amendment to the Charles County Public Schools’ student conduct code will prohibit students from wearing medical masks without a doctor’s note or 504 special education plan documenting a medical need. “You may have noticed that a lot of students are wearing a mask to hide other things,” Chief of Schools Linda Iverson said at a school board meeting on June 22. “We cleaned that up and we are saying you can’t wear a mask in the building without a note from a doctor documenting that you need to wear that for medical reasons or health reasons.” The decision, which also prohibits ski masks, comes from a recommendation by the Code of Student Conduct Committee, school board Chairperson Nicole Kramer said. The committee meets annually to discuss suggested revisions to the document. “Since COVID, there has been an increase in mask wearing, but it is not always due to a medical reason,” Kreamer said. “To avoid the misuse of masks as a distraction and safety concern, this addition was necessary.” To obtain a doctor’s note for medical mask use, students may be prescribed the mask from their doctor or other medical provider, said Linda Warren, public information officer for the Charles County Department of Health. Based on a student’s medical needs, such as recovering from a communicable disease or having a weakened immune system, the provider would issue a note stating the need, purpose and expected duration of mask use. “Wearing face masks provides an extra layer of protection by filtering out airborne particles and respiratory droplets,” Warren wrote in an email to Southern Maryland News. “They act as a two-way barrier, protecting others from your germs when you are sick.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says wearing a mask can help lower the risk of respiratory virus transmission. ”When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from breathing in infectious particles from people around them,” according to the CDC website.