Since last Wednesday, I have seen a lot of concern from students, faculty, and parents, regarding the flexible masking being implemented this week. There have been many arguments made as to why we should be required to wear masks instead of having the option for vaccinated individuals to not wear masks. Personally, I feel that everyone should make the choice for themselves and that everyone should respect each other’s choices. 

In regards to wearing a mask or not, I personally feel that if you are vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask in school if you don’t want to. We have been in this pandemic for over two years now, and 95% of children ages 12-19 in Westborough are fully vaccinated. I feel that if we don’t move forward with flexible masking now, it could keep getting delayed until it becomes June. 

I understand that there is a new variant, Omicron, and that is definitely something we need to take seriously. In early reporting, this variant seems to be more transmissible than the Delta variant, and it appears to also be less dangerous. Even President Biden has said, “Don’t panic.” There has been a case of Omicron in Massachusetts, but the person who contracted it did not need to be hospitalized and experienced very mild symptoms. This is because she is vaccinated. 

The town of Hopkinton implemented flexible masking last month for a trial, and according to officials, it was a “surprising success.” Only one high school student got COVID-19 since the trial started, and it was from somewhere outside of school. Officials say that “there was no evidence of any COVID-19 transmission in the school building.” The trial was so successful that Hopkinton is continuing with flexible masking. 

Hopkinton’s flexible masking went so well that a majority of students and staff said that they saw “an improvement to the learning experience and morale boost during the trial.” If Hopkinton has been successful with flexible masking and they have very similar vaccination numbers that Westborough has, then I don’t see why we can’t start flexible masking now. 

We now have the choice to wear a mask or to not wear a mask, so I would like to say one thing. If you choose to wear a mask, that is your choice. If you choose not to wear a mask, that is also your choice. We need to respect everyone’s decisions, regardless if we agree with them or not. It’s hurtful and disappointing to see people unable to accept that people have different opinions. We need to respect each other. 

When the School Committee voted to implement flexible masking last week, one of the arguments made by someone who attended the meeting was that masks are affecting mental health. I have heard many people bash these claims, saying that they are “untrue.” Well, do you know the status of my mental health? Why are you allowed to tell me what is affecting my mental health? Why is it untrue that masks aren’t affecting my mental health?

I am not saying that masks are affecting my mental health, but there are many people who you don’t know of who may be experiencing mental health problems because of wearing a mask for six hours straight every day. Although it may not be the case for you, it could be the case for other people. 

I personally feel that you should not be allowed to tell me what to do. To everyone against flexible masking, one thing you are forgetting is that it is your choice to wear a mask or not. Flexible masking does not mean you can’t wear a mask. If you want to wear a mask, you can, but you cannot tell me what to do or what not to do. 

I understand that I may be in the minority with my opinion on this very important issue. My hope is that I am able to get one message across: Respect everyone’s decisions. I have been very hurt by people giving people dirty looks for their decision to not wear a mask, and it has been very difficult to stay by what I feel is the right choice for me. I ask you to please stop, because we are all in this together. 

Whether you agree or disagree with the School Committee’s decision to implement flexible masking, I ask you to please respect them as they are constantly working hard to make decisions for our schools. Although we may share different opinions, we are all human and deserve to be treated equally. In regards to this issue, do what you feel is the right choice for you, and do not let others pressure you one way or another. It’s all about respect, empathy, and support, and as a community at the high school, I hope we can all respect each other as we transition into this new phase in our school. 

Sources: 

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2021/12/03/hopkinton-high-school-massachusetts-mask-covid/ 

https://www.wcvb.com/article/first-case-of-omicron-variant-massachusetts-december-4-2021/38429894#