DALLAS — As some kids are getting ready to get back to school Monday, many parents are nervous as COVID-19 and the Delta variant continue to spread. While the CDC recommends kids wear masks in schools, WFAA wanted to know how kids feel about masks, and what school officials are doing to make kids feel comfortable.
Going back to school and getting good grades is something rising 3rd-grader Danny Brown and his friends at Cornerstone Baptist Church in South Dallas are excited to do.
And, always wearing a mask is something the 8-year-old would do anyway.
“I thought all the students would make fun of me," Danny said.
Danny and his friends are making sure their friends feel comfortable wearing a mask in school.
“They can buy specific masks, like colorful masks, the ones they will like,” 11-year-old Kalyn Simpson said.
And, the masks come in all sorts of colors, even cartoon characters.
The CDC recommends wearing a mask for teachers, staff, students and visitors of all ages, regardless of vaccination status.
But masks are not mandated in Texas public schools.
“We know what works. This isn’t our first time doing this,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said during a White House press briefing Thursday.
For some students, they might feel embarrassed wearing a mask again.
“We have some parents reach out who have some immunocompromised condition,” Dallas ISD Director of Health Services Jennifer Finley said.
For Angela Harmon, her 10-year-old son will be starting school on Monday at Dallas ISD.
“It’s been pretty rough,” Harmon said.
Harmon was diagnosed with stage 2 lymphoma and is doing chemotherapy.
She’s making sure her son goes to school and wears a mask at all times.
“He didn’t do so well grade-wise while doing the Zoom. His grades dropped. I’m hoping he will be safe," Harmon said.
“We are setting up pop-up clinics in schools,” Cardona said.
And, there is now a push from the Biden administration to get children vaccinated.
“They’re more likely to get vaccinated at a school where they know folks. And we will take advantage of our youth. Let’s get high school students to talk about it,” Cardona said.
But in the meantime, these kids say they're trying to do their part – and mask up.
“Because you can get sick and you can’t go back to school until the sickness wears off,” one student from Cornerstone Baptist Church said.