Mask-Wearing up to the Individual’s Comfort Level
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.”
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Meron Mesfin is a senior at Plano West. This year she chose to be on the newspaper staff because of her immense love for writing. She plans to be a journalist...