School & District Management

As Illnesses Increase, Some Districts Turn Back to Masking

By Caitlynn Peetz — December 19, 2022 3 min read
Photo of child holding mask.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Faced with a “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, some schools are fighting back by once again turning to universal masking, a familiar—and sometimes controversial—mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This winter, the convergence of COVID-19, the flu, and RSV, a virus that causes cold-like symptoms, is causing higher-than-normal staff and student absences and sometimes forcing schools to temporarily close.

After months and sometimes more than a year without mandatory masking, some schools have revisited the concept in an effort to keep students and teachers in the classroom.

“We know that masking works as a mitigation strategy and we’re in this season of illnesses, so it’s not really surprising to see it might be coming back in some places,” said Linda Mendonca, the president of the National Association of School Nurses.

An elementary school in Washington state reinstated its mask mandate this month after about one-third of students were absent with illnesses. New York City schools last week sent a message to its families urging—but not requiring—students and staff members to wear masks indoors as illnesses surge and strain local hospitals.

Schools in several states, including Michigan, Iowa, Maine, Texas, and Missouri, have closed some schools or temporarily switched to virtual classes due to high absentee rates from illness, according to Burbio, a company tracking school closures across the country.

The Philadelphia school district on Dec. 15 announced a 10-day mask mandate when students return from winter break in January. It’s intended to be a proactive measure to stifle the spread of illnesses following the extended break, during which many families travel or gather in larger groups.

Prior to the start of the school year, the district had developed a COVID-19 plan that specified in part that it would reinstitute an indoor mask mandate if the number of cases increased or if there was potential for cases to increase, said Kendra McDow, the district’s medical officer.

Since Thanksgiving, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases reported, along with other illnesses, she said. That trend has historically been true after the winter break, as well.

Students and staff are encouraged to wear masks indoors now, but the requirement will kick in from Jan. 3-13, McDow said.

Masking turned political during the pandemic

Because the district had created and outlined a plan for the potential return of masks early, “nobody should have been surprised” when the district announced the plan this month, McDow said. Still, there is a range of opinions about the move.

In some places, mask mandates, particularly in schools, have become an intensely political and divisive topic. Those opposed argue that the masks are unnecessary or ineffective, or that they obstruct young students’ ability to develop their speech.

In Philadelphia, McDow said most people understand implementing the mask mandate is intended to keep the students and staff healthy, and to keep kids in school.

“I think the biggest thing for us is we know that learning in person is extremely important, so if we can reduce our cases as much as possible through the implementation of proven mitigation measures, it allows our staff or teachers to be healthy,” she said. “Our school staff should be healthy to continue to teach our students and it’s also very important for our students to remain healthy so that they can come to school and they’re ready to learn.”

Combatting ‘mask fatigue’

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear masks indoors if COVID-19 cases are high in their community.

But asking people to go back to masking after three years of on-again, off-again guidance can be challenging. Even people who complied before have gotten what Mendonca called “mask fatigue.” Districts generally face more pushback now than in 2020.

Previously, face-covering mandates often came from state health or education departments, and now trying to make the decisions piecemeal can seem less valid to the community, she said.

Making the decisions based on the local situation—such as the number of COVID-19 cases, how many students and teachers are out sick, the strain on neighborhood hospitals—makes sense. State agencies could also help by working with the local officials and supporting their decisions, Mendonca said.

She said there’s no easy solution. But district leaders can continue to remind the community about how masks can protect them.

“It just goes back to knowing that from a public health standpoint, masking is a mitigation strategy that works,” Mendonca said. “And so if you want to decrease transmission of the virus, or any virus, wearing a mask will certainly help.”

Related Tags:

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion For Principals, Emotional Intelligence Is More Than Just Being ‘Nice’
Emotions are contagious. When leaders struggle, the school environment does, too.
Marc Brackett, James Floman & Robin Stern
5 min read
Juggling emotions control concept, businessman juggling emotions icons and mood control, mindfulness and psychology, techniques and techniques for managing anger
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How Can Principals Grow the Next Generation of Teachers? Listen to My Student
Here’s what made this high schooler want to become a public school teacher.
S. Kambar Khoshaba & Mina Etemadi
4 min read
Conceptual image of growing the next generation of teachers from students.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management How Los Angeles Schools Are Responding to the ICE Raids and Protests
The school year in Los Angeles is ending amid immigration raids, protests, and the activation of National Guard troops and Marines.
4 min read
Los Angeles police officers with batons and riot gear attempt to move back protesters in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025.
Los Angeles police officers with batons and riot gear attempt to move back protesters in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district's police force planned to set up "perimeters of safety" around graduation ceremonies this week amid immigration raids in the city, protests, and the activation of National Guard troops and Marines.
Eric Thayer/AP
School & District Management Download How to Boost Teacher Morale: A Guide for District Leaders (DOWNLOADABLE)
Our discussion guide for district leaders has three takeaways about teachers' attitudes toward their job. Use it to jump start PD with your team.
1 min read
A leader meets with their team. Superintendents, principals, schools leaders, district maps.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva