California students and teachers are getting ready to take off their masks on Monday, but not every school will be the same.
Monday will be the first day many students in California will not be required to wear a mask indoors, but some people still disagree.
“I think what I’m going to do is I'm going to wear a mask so I can feel more comfortable so that COVID won’t rise up again,” August McCaffery-Shapiro, a 4th grade student.
The father of the 9-year-old says he is glad his son is doing what makes him comfortable.
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“I feel confident that whether he wants to wear his mask or not that it will be pretty safe,” Gary Shapiro said.
Other kids and parents are relieved that most schools are allowing masks to be optional indoors.
“I think the kids need to move on. We got through omicron and we are just happy to be able to breathe again,” Samantha Gunther, a parent, said.
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“I’m going to bring a mask but I'm probably not going to wear them unless there is someone hacking right next to me,” Aidan Gunther, a 5th grader, said.
LAUSD, however, still requires its students to wear masks in the classrooms.
The district posted on its social pages that it's working to transition from a mandatory indoor mask mandate to a strong recommendation.
“For schools to impose a mandate at a time when there really is no need whatsoever makes no sense,” Dr. Houman Hemmati, a physician, said.
But some doctors and parents say the lag is less about the health and safety of students and more about a bargaining chip for the teachers union.
Several LAUSD parents and students say they will be staging a protest on Monday by going to school without a mask.
