Scofflaw students ditching masks

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This article was published 07/10/2020 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

High schools are enforcing strict new mask-wearing and physical distancing policies, but frustrated teenagers say not all students are following the rules when teachers’ backs are turned.

“(Some students) throw away the rules completely after school ends,” said one Grade 9 student at Grant Park High School, who was waiting outside with a handful of masked friends on a recent afternoon.

The Free Press stopped by three city high schools during lunch hours last week and observed masked and unmasked students mingling outside and at nearby lunch spots.

While physical distancing of two metres between friends was universally ignored, most students wore face coverings and all gathered in groups no larger than 10.

Outside Maples Collegiate, a group of Grade 10 girls who have blended learning schedules said students who get bored during remote learning days show up at school to see their friends on opposite timetables during lunchtime.

On the opposite side of the city, a trio of Grade 12 boys at Vincent Massey Collegiate said the pandemic has not put an end to weekend “bush parties.”

The Winnipeg, Seven Oaks and Pembina Trails school divisions are all reporting positive compliance inside their respective schools, but administrators admit there is room for improvement.

“Human beings are social beings and so, we are naturally drawn to be together. It takes an extra effort on all of our parts to be mindful,” said Ted Fransen, superintendent of Pembina Trails.

“Is it perfect? No. Are we getting better? Yes. Education is about learning and changing our behaviour.”

Maples principal Scott Shier echoed those comments. “The things we need to work on are our lunchtime and after-school (behaviours),” he said.

A mother of two high schoolers, Jen Watt, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba who studies student well-being, said her children are irritated about their peers who have flouted the rules in recent weeks.

Given teens’ social nature, the anxiety of missing out on things, and their desire to have a normal teenage experience, Watt said the pandemic has greatly affected student well-being. However, she said it’s key to consider the long-term health tradeoffs for temporary happiness.

“The momentary ‘this feels good’ may actually have such long-term effects, and that’s a hard one for anyone,” said Watt, “but I think it’s also really hard for teenagers because long-term thinking is not always a strong part of that developing brain.”

When rules are broken at school, Radean Carter of Winnipeg School Division said educators take it as an opportunity to have a conversation with students and remind them why they are important. Carter said Friday she was unaware of any students being sent home or disciplined for ignoring rules.

The province’s latest COVID-19 figures indicate 118 females between the ages of 10 and 19 have tested positive for the virus in Manitoba, while there have been a total of 136 cases among males in the same age group. Combined, these populations account for approximately 11 per cent of the total cases.

While the current scientific consensus is that children under 10 are less likely to become infected with the virus or become severely ill, emerging research suggests teenagers experience similar rates of infection as adults.

Winnipeg epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said the understanding of infection rates and severity of infections is evolving, but as case counts increase, there hasn’t been a spike in hospitalizations or mortality in the teenage age group.

“But that doesn’t mean there is none,” she said, adding young people need to remember many people who have recovered from COVID-19 are experiencing longer-term consequences; among them, fatigue, headache, loss of taste and smell, and in rare instances, stroke.

Last week at a news conference, when addressing the growing number of cases among 20-somethings in the province, Health Minister Cameron Friesen spoke about the importance of reaching young people with public-health messaging.

When asked if he would create videos on the video-sharing platform TikTok, Friesen said he doesn’t have an account, “but we do need to think about how we reach that younger crowd.”

Carr said creating short shareable videos could be a positive public health strategy. “If you wanted to get through to my 18-year-old, it would be through Instagram or Snapchatting or TikTok,” said Carr, founder of EPI Research Inc.

She said effective messaging makes people feel they are part of the solution as opposed to the problem because the latter deters people from admitting they have symptoms and getting tested.

“Kids need to do their part, both within the school environment and outside the school environment because the virus is always looking for a chance to spread,” Carr said.

While “bush parties” may appear safer than indoor ones, loud music forces people to talk louder and potentially spread droplets more easily, alcohol can affect one’s common sense, and sharing drinks, cigarettes and vapes puts people at risk, she said.

Seven Oaks superintendent Brian O’Leary said conversations about behaviours inside and outside school hours need to be reinforced at home.

While he noted lots of parents are sharing public health messaging, O’Leary said there are families who don’t believe masks are necessary and are taking symptomatic children to hockey practice.

“It isn’t just a school issue,” he said, “it’s a parent and community issue.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie