Trump Scores Another Win Against New York's Corrupt 'Justice' System
Trump Has Decided Who He Won't Pick for FBI Director
Here's Pam Bondi's Stance on Illegal Immigration and Cartel Traffickers
CNN Legal Analyst Just Shredded Dems' Top Narrative Against Trump's AG Pick
Scott Presler to PA Dems Who Tried to Steal the Election: We're Coming...
Here's What Caused a Woman to Chop Up Her Father on Election Night
One of Trump’s Biggest Allies Says He’s Never Getting Into Politics Again
MTG to Chair a New DOGE Subcommittee
Tom Cotton Issues 'Friendly Reminder' to ICC After Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
'Obstructionist Transition': Biden Administration Is 'Loosening Immigration Policies' on t...
New Legislation Puts the Department of Education on the Chopping Block
Are Teens Leaning More Conservative or Liberal? Here’s What a New Poll Is...
DOJ Calls for Google to Sell the Chrome Browser
Georgia Conducted a Hand Count Audit of Its Election Results. Guess What it...
Top Pollster Calls on Joe Biden to Resign
Tipsheet

Biden Calls Those Forcing Kids to Wear Masks in Schools 'Heroes'

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Biden on Thursday called local leaders who are pushing mask mandates on children “heroes.”

“I know there are a lot of people out there trying to turn a public safety measure — that is children wearing masks in school so they can be safe — into a political dispute and that this isn’t about politics,” he said at the White House. “This is about keeping our children safe.”

Advertisement

The comment comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended students, faculty and staff in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors amid growing concern over the Delta variant. 

“To the mayors, school superintendents, educators, local leaders who are standing up to the governors politicizing mask protection for our kids: thank you,” the president said.

“Thank God that we have heroes like you and I stand with you all and America should as well,” Biden added.

The Republican governors in Texas and Florida have signed orders prohibiting requiring masks in schools, opting instead to leave the decision up to each person and family. 

At least three Florida school districts are defying DeSantis’s order, imposing mask mandates in school. The governor, in turn, has threatened their salaries.

According to Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Dr. H. Cody Meissner, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Tufts Children’s Hospital who also served on the FDA’s external advisory panel for the Covid-19 vaccines, data on the masking of children is scant, with the single study showing inconclusive results. 

Advertisement

What we do know, however, is that they are not harmless, according to the doctors. 

Some children are fine wearing a mask, but others struggle. Those who have myopia can have difficulty seeing because the mask fogs their glasses. (This has long been a problem for medical students in the operating room.) Masks can cause severe acne and other skin problems. The discomfort of a mask distracts some children from learning. By increasing airway resistance during exhalation, masks can lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. And masks can be vectors for pathogens if they become moist or are used for too long.

In March, Ireland’s Department of Health announced that it won’t require masks in schools because they “may exacerbate anxiety or breathing difficulties for some students.” Some children compensate for such difficulties by breathing through their mouths. Chronic and prolonged mouth breathing can alter facial development. It is well-documented that children who mouth-breathe because adenoids block their nasal airways can develop a mouth deformity and elongated face.

The possible psychological harm of widespread masking is an even greater worry. Facial expressions are integral to human connection, particularly for young children, who are only learning how to signal fear, confusion and happiness. Covering a child’s face mutes these nonverbal forms of communication and can result in robotic and emotionless interactions, anxiety and depression. Seeing people speak is a building block of phonetic development. It is especially important for children with disabilities such as hearing impairment.

The adverse developmental effects of requiring masks for a few weeks are probably minor. We can’t say that with any confidence when the practice stretches on for months or years. (WSJ)

Advertisement

Moreover, the risk to students from the virus is low. But according to Biden, those forcing kids to mask up all day are "heroes."

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement