Most masks come off in schools

Erika Edgin, Tryssa Robertson and Hailey Lohman were Mary M. Knight ninth-graders when they donned face masks to ward off the COVID-19 virus.

On Monday, as high school juniors, they took off their masks.

"It feels like we're supposed to go back to normal, but it's not our normal," Edgin said as the trio stood together outside during a class project Tuesday. She added, "I go to pull up my mask, and it's not there."

Monday was the first day students, teachers and other school staff were allowed by Gov. Jay Inslee's decree the option to not wear masks in schools. The seven school districts in Mason County reported a range of student mask use on Monday and Tuesday, from 5% to 10% in the Grapeview School District to 50% in the Hood Canal School District.

None of the districts report a noticeable initial divide between the masked and unmasked.

"It hasn't been an issue, making fun of people for wearing masks ... Everyone is pretty chill," Robertson said.

Mary M. Knight senior Aden Ziegler agreed.

"I feel like (the masked) are being a little overcautious, but I respect their decision not to want to get sick," he said.

Ziegler said he won't miss the zits the masks produced. "It's like we can breathe a lot better," he said.

Mary M. Knight Superintendent Matt Mallery estimated 10% to 12% of students are wearing masks, and about 40% of the staff.

"We communicate to kids, 'It's OK to make a choice, we support you either way,' " he said.

The mask transition is going well in the North Mason School District, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach wrote to the Journal.

"We have not had any clashes reported between groups of students," she wrote. "Though the percentage wearing masks is different in each building, the majority are choosing not to wear them."

Hood Canal Superintendent Nikki Grubbs estimates about half the staff and students are wearing masks.

"(They) continue to wear masks because they have compromised immune systems, while others wear their masks to protect family members," she wrote. "However, some kids have become accustomed to wearing masks and feel more comfortable keeping them on."

Grubbs added, "We have taught our students to respect one another's choice to wear a mask. We have not had bullying issues around mask wearing. Students tend to adapt to change more readily then adults."

Southside School District Administrator Robie Spaulding wrote the change has been "an incredibly smooth transition."

"Prior to Monday, we sent information to our families and held a staff meeting to share new guidelines and answer questions in an effort to control the transition," he wrote. "We are continuing cohorting, social distancing when possible and temperature checks at this time."

About one-third of the students and staff members continue to wear masks, without any reported discord, Spaulding wrote.

On Monday morning, about 10% of the Pioneer students and staff walked into the schools wearing masks, wrote Superintendent Doris Bolender.

"Our past two days have gone very well," she wrote. "We met with the students the Friday before and set the tone of options and acceptance. Our students and staff handled everything in superb fashion."

The youngest elementary school students were seeing each other's faces in school for the first time, Bolender pointed out.

In the Shelton School District, "students and staff have responded well to having the option to wear or nor wear a mask," wrote Superintendent Wyeth Jessee. "Staff members have commented on how wonderful it is to see student faces and students have been intrigued by what staff members really look like without a mask on."

A majority of the staff and students at Shelton High School are unmasked, while Bordeaux Elementary School reports about 10% of students and staff are wearing masks, Jessee wrote.

"So far, students and staff members have been respectful of each other's choices to wear a mask or not ... Schools across the district have been talking with students about the importance of being respectful of other's choices," he wrote.

Grapeview Superintendent Kurt Hilyard said about 5% to 10% of the students wore masks on Tuesday. As for conflicts, "No, our students have been great!" he wrote.