Osceola County schools - masks ? (Orlando, St. Cloud: insurance, house, bankruptcy)

[invinciblesummer]

anyone know of any schools in Osecola County that may keep the mask mandate next school year even though the school district has made it optional? Just moved to the area from out of state and are a little concerned about sending the kid to school wearing a mask if their new friends aren't as well since they might feel weird or get made fun of (do kids get made fun of for wearing masks here in FL?) or just take it off if someone tells them they don't HAVE to wear it (even though they do because I said so hahaha).

It just SUCKS because I want the kid to have a more normal experience this year and not do virtual school again, but with the new variants and cases not really slowing down I also don't want any of us to get sick just because the kid went to school. We'll be working from home and plan to continue mask wearing outside in public places like grocery stores & etc, so school would be our major exposure source and it's just concerning and I don't know what to do especially since school starts in August

For reference, where we've moved from is still requiring masks next school year as far as we know which is why I'm finding this out and freaking out a little. any and all advice is appreciated!

[boy3365]

If a district makes masks optional, individual schools would not be able to make them mandatory. It's along the same line as a chain store not requiring masks, but store #40 on Mulberry Lane requiring them. That wouldn't be right and would cause confusion. (Of course, the difference with the store comparison would be abiding by any local mandates if they operate in different jurisdictions with different mandates.)

I don't think Osceola has a large enough population that would be super hostile to mask wearers compared to a Polk, Seminole, or Lake County.

[idr591]

A mask will not keep your child safe if nobody else is wearing them. Get people vaccinated in your house that choose to and don't live in fear. "Trust the science." lol.

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by boy3365

If a district makes masks optional, individual schools would not be able to make them mandatory. It's along the same line as a chain store not requiring masks, but store #40 on Mulberry Lane requiring them. That wouldn't be right and would cause confusion. (Of course, the difference with the store comparison would be abiding by any local mandates if they operate in different jurisdictions with different mandates.)

This. Orange County Public Schools announced they'd be voting on this at their July meeting and indicated that they were leaning in the direction of "masks optional." But they're County school districts. Principals don't have a lot of room to make their own rules.

I don't think Osceola has a large enough population that would be super hostile to mask wearers compared to a Polk, Seminole, or Lake County.

Spot on. I went to a meeting in St. Cloud about a month ago where masks were optional. Almost everyone there had already been vaccinated and everyone came in with masks on but less than half kept their masks on the whole time. It wasn't a big deal either way.

There's no telling how kids can be. There's strong pressure to be like everyone else. Schools were open all last year, we have solid data that they were not the disease factories that they were initially thought to be. Getting the proper vaccinations are what, 88% effective? No expert but isn't R-0 supposed to be 75%?

Also, as an aside, for all the trash talking about Florida and Covid in the media and online, over the last 10 days I've been in NJ, PA, and OH - absolute barbarians. I left FL where 80% of people were still wearing masks in stores and got to NJ where 20% of people were. No wonder Covid was such a s*** show there. In Ohio it's like 5%.

[boy3365]

In my part of Orlando, I would say most of the people I've seen are still wearing masks in stores. The only place where there are virtually no masks was my gym. But during the mandate days, many people were wearing them under their chin anyway.

The "schools weren't as bad as we thought" argument is kind of misleading. Schools were not at 100% capacity and were able to enforce guidelines in ways businesses can't with adults without turning things into the next viral "mask-hole' video or heaven forbid something worse. Additionally, there is now a HUGE stigma against people coming to work and school sick, even with the common cold. So, yes, school buildings hovering around 40% capacity last September with mask mandates, distancing, and having power to deny building access to kids with runny noses, sneezes, and coughs contributed to schools not being the disaster some predicted.

Now if schools never closed or everyone was forced back in person in September and there was no significant spread, then it would be a different story. Not Florida, but here's some news from Texas schools and their rise in COVID cases.

[kyle19125]

I wouldn't do any planning until the new Covid Delta variant makes its presence more known. Up to around 100 cases in a week, and it spreads like wildfire apparently. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/21/scot...aboolainternal

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I wouldn't do any planning until the new Covid Delta variant makes its presence more known. Up to around 100 cases in a week, and it spreads like wildfire apparently. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/21/scot...aboolainternal

It could be 10,000 cases a week and we know nothing will change here.

[Kid Ashbury]

Let's review (all CDC-based numbers):

• 99.7% survival rate (total)
• 99.9997% survival rate for children
• Avg. age of death: 78 y.o.
• 94% deaths have co-morbidities
• 99.992% vaccine efficacy rate
• 0.9%-1.9% mask mandate efficacy

Anyone still living in fear is a mindless drone, and YES, your kid will be made fun of if he's wearing a mask. As he should be. Hopefully the other kids can tease him enough to make him realize his parents living in fear shouldn't be cause for him to wear a face diaper forever.

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I wouldn't do any planning until the new Covid Delta variant makes its presence more known. Up to around 100 cases in a week, and it spreads like wildfire apparently. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/21/scot...aboolainternal

imagine still believing this nonsense propaganda. Let the media keep you afraid forever, the rest of us are done with the lies.

[kyle19125]

[quote=Kid Ashbury;6130531
imagine still believing this nonsense propaganda. Let the media keep you afraid forever, the rest of us are done with the lies.[/QUOTE]

Tell that to living relatives of the 600K+ who have died so far in the US. Real nonsense...smdh.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Tell that to living relatives of the 600K+ who have died so far in the US. Real nonsense...smdh.

Or those with lingering effects of infection.


It's the same with gun violence. "Thank goodness no one died in that incident." Never mind the gunshot surviver who has to have 3 surgeries over the next year (hopefully with good insurance or its bankruptcy and/or GoFundMe time) and mental therapy for who knows how long. Their stories don't seem to get a lot of attention.