Faculty, keep students masked
Students are placed in vulnerable and potentially dangerous situations when they ask their peers to wear masks properly. Faculty members are responsible for enforcing proper masking by giving consistent reminders and consequences when students do not follow proper protocols. Graphic by Alex Garibashvily
With the status of the COVID-19 virus quickly changing, mask requirements continue to shift. While the mask requirement at school stays in place, faculty must better enforce the policy to protect the health of the Glenbrook community.
When there are multiple students not wearing their masks properly, I hope my teacher will tell those students to pull up their masks. It is frustrating when staff members see students incorrectly wearing their masks but remain silent. After one student asked her teacher to correct other students for incorrectly wearing their masks, no actions were taken.
Students risk verbal and physical assault when asking peers to pull up their masks. One student asked a classmate to pull his mask up only to be called a derogatory word. Another student was shoved after asking a peer to wear their mask properly.
Students are more compelled to take the directions of staff members over those of their peers. Staff members, please continue to remind students to pull up their masks and enforce mask-related policies.
Students, regardless of your vaccination status, how mild your symptoms could be or the number of times you have contracted the virus, there are no valid reasons for jeopardizing the health of those around you. Everyone has differing levels of immunity, and using excuses to disregard appropriate masking in public is unfair and disrespectful.
To Glenbrook North administrators, I ask you to consider ways to better enforce the mask requirement. Faculty must work to create a safe learning environment. Walking through swarms of unmasked students puts everyone in a vulnerable position. The administration should employ more severe repercussions for students who disregard the current mask requirement.
After counting the number of times I saw people not wearing their masks correctly for one school day, I was disappointed to reach a tally of 183. Whether it is in the hallways or my classes, I am bound to see people either wearing their masks below their noses or under their chins. Enforcing the mask requirement is a collective effort, so I ask everyone, including all students, staff and administrators, to make the right decisions to improve the well-being of all.