The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend that in order for schools to remain open, which is of critical importance to the education and wellbeing of all children and families, certain public health measures must be instituted and adhered to, like universal mask wearing.

Although 85% of Eagle County's eligible population (ages 12 and up) are currently vaccinated, children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible. As of July 22, 2021, over 4.1 million COVID-19 pediatric cases have been reported. In 23 states, 16,878 pediatric hospitalizations have been reported, and the CDC estimates 209,264 cumulative pediatric hospitalizations in the U.S. as a whole. Over 400 pediatric deaths have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Although this seems low compared to adults, COVID-19 is now a top 10 cause of death for adolescents in the United States. Mortality is not the only negative outcome. Long COVID-19 has been been reported among kids. The British National Health Service is reporting that 7-8% of kids experience long COVID-19 and is opening new pediatric clinics for COVID-19 around the country.

There is no question that this virus IS impacting our children. Although 85% of Eagle County's eligible population is vaccinated, 0% of children in elementary schools are eligible for vaccines. In addition, older children that attend ECS can still have younger siblings in their homes that are ineligible, including family members that may be at a greater risk or have pre-existing conditions that put them at a greater risk. Delta has changed the game. Delta is 200% more transmissible and results in up to 1000x higher viral load compared to previous variations. This means that 1 person infects roughly 6-10 people, similar to the transmission of chickenpox and higher than smallpox. Even vaccinated individuals that become infected can spread the Delta variant to others.

We need to be proactive and minimize the transmission of COVID-19 among kids, to minimize the growth and spread of this virus in the community. In person school without public health mitigation not only puts our children at risk, but our greater community as well. While having a choice to wear a mask in schools provides some protection to the wearer, they primarily serve as source control and the greatest benefits occur if everyone wears them. Without universal mask wearing, our students and faculty who are immunocompromised may not be able to attend our schools in person for fear of health and safety, and it is our duty to ensure that ALL of our students have access to the same education.  

The many amazing measures Eagle County Schools put into place last year worked, and unlike many schools across our nation, we were able to provide our students with in-person instruction for all. Although we all want to be in a place where we can return to a "more normal school year," we just aren't there yet. If the district "strongly encourages those that are immunocompromised or unvaccinated to wear masks (ALL of our elementary students at minimum are unvaccinated)," then universal mask wearing shouldn't be a question. Please bring back policies and procedures that will keep our students, families, and community healthy, and in-person for the year.