Biden Administration to Use Federal Civil Rights Office to Deter States From School Mask Bans – The New York Times

The Biden administration, escalating its fight with Republican governors who are blocking local school districts from requiring masks to protect against the coronavirus, will use the Department of Education s civil rights enforcement authority to deter states from banning universal masking in classrooms, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Wednesday.

The move puts the department at the center of bitter local debates over how to mitigate against the coronavirus in schools, just as the highly infectious Delta variant is fueling a spike in pediatric cases. Mr. Cardona said he was acting at the direction of President Biden, who is scheduled to speak about the pandemic later Wednesday and to instruct the department to use all of its powers to ensure a safe return to in-person learning this fall.

via www.nytimes.com

Well, if Delta really is spreading through school age children rapidly, and there’s a substantial risk of their getting seriously ill, then masks aren’t going to stop it. I’ve seen confusing data both ways on the likelihood of children getting seriously ill. Mostly that seems to be a “no,” thankfully. People who have gotten the vaccine seem to be overwhelmingly alright. Most kids under 16 or whatever it is have not gotten a vaccine.

I’m deliberately maintaining my ignorance of this important issue. This is an exception. But RC readers should bear in mind I am not a viro-immunological expertismista.

The Biden administration seems to be injecting itself into a terribly contentious area advocating a policy that they should know won’t work. But there’s this. If it turns out there’s not a wave of sickness and death among children, which seems likely, they can always claim their mask mandates had something to do with that. So that’s a win for them. The GOP on the other hand can fight masks, and when the kids turn out alright, say, we told you so. Less of a win for them but still a win. Isn’t politics just lovely?

Meanwhile, here in California, I and other professors will be lecturing with masks on. We are told there will be technology to make this possible. I’m somewhat skeptical but I’m game. What the heck. The show must go on.