Guest Opinion: Mask Mandates in Our Schools

The Montana Nurses Association has referred to the recent emergency rule from Montana DPHHS regarding not masking in school as “promotion of junk science.” One might be wise to use caution as well as introspection in using such a bold statement.

MNA expressed frustration that the department did not cite peer reviewed studies in explaining its rule. For every peer reviewed study showing the effectiveness of masks, one could find at least as many showing they are not effective in reducing the risk of virus transmission, especially simple cloth masks worn improperly by school-age children.

The “j...