Currently, in LA County, children 2 years-old and above are required to wear masks in schools and childcare settings.

The World Health Organization states the following:

"Children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.

WHO and UNICEF advise that the decision to use masks for children aged 6-11 should be based on the following factors:

-Whether there is widespread transmission in the area where the child resides-The ability of the child to safely and appropriately use a mask
-Access to masks, as well as laundering and replacement of masks in certain settings (such as schools and childcare services)
-Adequate adult supervision and instructions to the child on how to put on, take off and safely wear masks
-Potential impact of wearing a mask on learning and psychosocial development, in consultation with teachers, parents/caregivers and/or medical providers
-Specific settings and interactions the child has with other people who are at high risk of developing serious illness, such as the elderly and those with other underlying health conditions."

https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/q-a-children-and-masks-related-to-covid-19

Anecdotally, we are seeing development and language delays in toddlers and preschool-age children from an inability to see oral movements during speech and facial expressions or emotions on their caregivers and classmates. This is unacceptable. We are setting our children up for a lifetime of being behind.

According to the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California:

"Today, adults have no reason to put their safety ahead of the well-being of school kids.  Vaccinations are highly effective at keeping adults out of the hospital and even better at preventing death. A healthy, fully vaccinated teacher is close to impervious to threats posed by COVID-19 spread in the classroom.  By now, every teacher in America has been offered the vaccine; many were in the first priority group, even above vulnerable older people. If we want to enhance safety for adults further, we can do so by other measures, such as improved ventilation, that are less intrusive than masking."

https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/mandatory-masking-of-school-children-is-a-bad-idea/

It's time to stop masking children under 5-years-old in schools. The consequences far outweigh the risks, especially with vaccines widely available and effective at preventing serious disease and death. There is no excuse for placing the well-being of children, our future, at risk.