When going to school during a global pandemic, one can expect there to be quite a few safety precautions. Maggie Walker may be a smaller school, but there are over 700 students and faculty within, making it difficult to consistently stay socially-distanced from others. Walking down the halls, there are plenty of masks being worn, but little else is being done. It is not for a lack of trying, but rather a lack of knowing what should be done.

As sophomore Avery Redmond put it, “I’m going to be real. I don’t know what the current precautions are, but [with] what I see in my everyday life here, it’s iffy. We’re trying our best out here, but it’s not the easiest.” Switching back and forth between opt-outs for mask-wearing, no opt-outs, and once more returning to the option of parents allowing their student to opt-out from wearing a mask has been a confusing sequence of emails in students’ inboxes, to say the least. There have been no announcements over the speakers or Schoology, just a single email for each time there is an update. Clear communication is vital in this situation, but it has not yet been achieved. Lina Katcheressian (‘24) made it clear that she finds that the level of communication students are sharing with the school is concerning. She remarks, “The communication could be better. I spent all of last year not knowing what was happening. I think they’re handling it well, but it would be nice if everyone knew how they were handling it.”

Initially, interviews were done to figure out how students feel about the current mask policy; however, it was a difficult task considering one thing: none of the students knew what the current mask policy was. They were clearly informed on what was happening in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the miniscule amount of information students are receiving about what is happening within school grounds is not cutting it. The current mask policy as updated on Tuesday, February 22, is that parents and guardians, and only parents and guardians, can opt-out their student from wearing a mask indoors; however, wearing a mask is still encouraged. Masks still have to be worn by faculty and on the buses as required by the federal government.

Many different opinions have risen as a result of such a policy on whether or not the option to opt-out is safe. Katcheressian stated, “I wish people were still required to wear masks because I still feel that we have a responsibility to try to keep the community, as a whole, safe. I feel that Maggie Walker is doing their best given the new bills being passed. I feel as safe here as I do basically anywhere else.” A majority of students still appear to be wearing masks, but it’s the fact that it is now optional that is concerning to students and parents alike. Maggie Walker has always emphasized promoting the overall interests of the school community, but behind every mask is a person with a life and different reasons as to why they have decided whether or not to wear a mask. As Redmond stated, “You can clearly tell that [Director] Dr. Lowerre cares a lot. He is fighting tooth and nail trying to keep everyone safe, and I appreciate that.” It is now up to the students to decide what course of action they will take as individuals.