With no more district wide mask mandate, the majority of the students at Plano West do not wear face masks, but some students still choose to wear masks. 

PISD held a mask mandate up until September 27th, as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But months later, the choice of whether to wear a mask is up to individual students and staff members.

According to a junior, Keshika Saravanan, “I did know that the school mandated masks and I did wear a mask the whole time they told us to wear it, except for when they said if you’re fully vaccinated it’s not mandatory, and that’s when I took it off.”

West had posters around the school encouraging students to wear their masks, stay six feet apart and wash their hands frequently.

“I chose to wear a mask when they mandated it because I don’t want to put anyone at risk. I didn’t want to put me or my family at risk especially because I have asthma, and if other people’s families or they themselves have some sort of illness, that could put them at a higher risk than anyone else. It would affect them negatively,so that’s why I just wore a mask throughout the time they told us to, even though I was fully vaccinated before school started.” said Saravanan.

Now, students are not required to wear masks, but the school recommends wearing them indoors even if people are vaccinated.

Naheel Abdelijaber, a junior, said, “I do choose to wear a mask at school, despite me being fully vaccinated. The reason for this being: though my chances for getting the virus and being badly affected by it are way low, I don’t want to jeopardize my younger sisters and pregnant mother.”

Some teachers at West wear masks every once in a while and some do not wear masks at all. 

Dr. Croman, the physics teacher said “Sometimes I wear a mask, sometimes I don’t. I’ve gotten the covid vaccine so I feel that I’m protected but what I’m worried about is others so I wear one in order to protect others in case some chance I happen to be a carrier. I don’t think I am, but maybe I am. You never know with these things, and I want to protect those who haven’t gotten the vaccine or might be susceptible to it, especially the little kids who haven’t gotten the vaccine.”