Hey kids, don’t be a maskhole!
With the end of school mask mandates around the corner, the city’s elite private schools are warning students not to question or tease classmates over their face covering choices.
Private schools introduced an optional mask policy for staffers and students Wednesday after Gov. Kathy Hochul officially scrapped the requirement.
“Everything is so polarized and political these days,” said a parent at Manhattan’s Spence School. “There is more to this than just wearing or not wearing a mask. It’s seen as a reflection of the student and the parents’ views overall.”
Some administrators are getting in front of the issue and asking parents to talk to their kids about respecting their classmates’ mask choices.
“An important note: the School will not tolerate any comments regarding someone’s personal decision either to wear or not wear a mask,” said David Lourie, the head of Manhattan’s Collegiate School, in a note to parents. “Please speak to your son in advance about respecting the choices of others, as no one knows another’s personal circumstances.”
Horace Mann’s Head of School Thomas Kelly issued a similar advisory this week.
“For their employees and children choosing to remain masked, our core value, Mutual Respect, matters,” he said “Masked or unmasked, at HM we treat each other with the respect, kindness and generosity of heart each of us deserves daily.”
Kelly said the new rules will come as a relief to some while creating “discomfort and even some anxiety” for others.
Bodie Brizendine, who heads Spence, reiterated the effectiveness of masks in her letter to parents while pledging equal treatment of the covered and the bare.
“We understand that some members of our community will continue to mask while at school, and we will respect that in all measures,” she wrote. “One-way masking is an effective measure of prevention, particularly with a well-fitted, high quality mask.”
The Spence parent wondered if kids will feel uncomfortable without a mask if their teachers continue to wear them.
“There are a lot of considerations that perhaps seem minor here,” she said. “But I think it’s smart to address them.”
Mayor Eric Adams is expected to make masking optional in city schools beginning next week.
Many Department of Education teachers have already pledged to keep masking despite the expected change in policy.