Mask at school: March 14, the end of the mask in class

The end of the mask in classes from March 14

This Monday, March 14 is a new step in the end of the restrictions linked to Covid-19, since Wearing a mask is no longer compulsory from this date, including indoors. It means that students, from primary to high school, as well as teachers, can remove the mask in class, a measure that had been long demanded by parents of students and teacher unions. “As from the beginning, we have consistency between what happens in the general population and what happens at school, with adaptations. The logical sequence is that children and teenagers, schoolchildren, college and high school students, will no longer wear the mask from Monday March 14 in class (…) This is obviously good news (…) We have all wanted this for a long time. This was not possible until now for obvious reasons. It becomes“, explained the Minister of National Education on LCI.

Mask and sport at school

Remember that since the start of the school year, according to zones A, B and C, students no longer have the obligation to wear the mask outdoors, especially in the playground. With the transition to level 2 of the health protocol at school, students can also practice indoor physical and sports activities without wearing a mask (while respecting a distance: contact sports are therefore not authorized without a mask). On February 11, the Ministry of National Education had already announced a reduction of the health protocol in schools with the transition from level 3 to level 2 for primary schools.

Who should wear the mask at school?

According to the level 2 health protocol, wearing a mask is compulsory inside (until March 14), for elementary school children, middle school and high school. Remember that wearing a mask is prohibited in kindergarten, regardless of the level of the health protocol at school.

Where should students wear the mask at school?

• At level 2, wearing a mask remains mandatory in enclosed spaces, but it will no longer be from March 14, 2022.

Wearing a mask according to the protocol levels at school

• At level 1, wearing a mask is mandatory in enclosed spaces and “the rules relating to the wearing of a mask outdoors in the general population are respected”. Thus, elementary school students no longer have to wear it. This level applies in departments where the incidence rate is less than 50 for 5 consecutive days.
• At level 2, the mask is compulsory indoors (until March 14)
• At level 3 and 4, it is mandatory for all students in enclosed and outdoor spaces.
• National education personnel must wear masks in enclosed spaces on levels 1 and 2 and also outside on levels 3 and 4.
• Remember that kindergarten students, regardless of level, do not wear a mask.

Which mask to choose at school?

Only surgical masks or masks for the general public with a filtration capacity greater than 90% (category 1) may be worn. Consequently, category 2 fabric masks for the general public, homemade or handcrafted fabric masks that do not meet AFNOR SPEC S76 001 standards, as well as transparent plastic visors and masks worn alone are not considered to be measures. sufficiently effective protection, warns the Ministry of Education. Recall that a decree concerning industrial fabric masks was published in the Official Journal on January 27 following health recommendations. In the FigaroJean-Michel Blanquer also specified that he was unfavorable to wearing the FFP2 mask at school. The Minister of Education considers that it is “very difficult to teach” with this type of mask and calls on teachers to “spirit responsibility”, respecting “barrier gestures”.

At what age is the mask compulsory at school?

Primary pupils, from the age of 6, must wear a mask at school.

Is the mask compulsory from 6 years old or at CP?

Generally, students are 6 years old in CP class, the government has specified that the mask becomes compulsory from this age, instead of 11 years previously. However, a 6-year-old child who would be enrolled in a large kindergarten section is not required to wear a mask, since he would be the only one in his class to put it on. In the same way, a 5-year-old child in first grade must wear a masklike his classmates.

Are students with allergies exempted from wearing a mask?

The mask is compulsory at school from CP, but can a child with allergies obtain an exemption? The answer is no, indicates the Ministry of National Education on its site. According to health authorities, “there are no documented contraindications, dermatological, pneumological, ENT and phoniatric or psychiatric, to wearing a mask, whatever its type (mask for medical usereusable fabric general public mask)”

In contrast, students with disabilities are covered by the general derogation from wearing a mask, fixed in article 2 of the decree of October 29, 2020, specifies the government. “In the certificate that he draws up, the doctor decides, in compliance with medical secrecy and without having to indicate the nature, on the existence of a situation of disability justifying that it be waived from the obligation to wear of the mask, in accordance with the provisions of the decree of October 29, 2020″.

Can a student without a mask be refused at school?

Children who arrive at school without a mask may be refused, with some exceptions. A student may not wear one “if he medically justifies that he is in a situation which allows an exemption”especially if he has a disability. Apart from this exceptional situation, “in the event of a student not wearing a mask when he arrives at the school, he should however be offered one. It is only in the event of an explicit refusal to wear the proposed mask, that this refusal , either formulated by the student himself or by his legal representatives, that access to the establishment must be prohibited to the student”, and his legal representatives will have to be called to pick him up, specifies the National Education. While waiting for them, the child will be able to enter the establishment but be isolated from the other students.