Schools confront more polarization with mask rules for fall

Students in Wichita, Kansas, public schools can ditch the masks when classes begin. Detroit public schools will probably require them only for the unvaccinated. In Pittsburgh, masks will likely be required regardless of vaccination status. And in some states, schools cannot mandate face coverings under any circumstances.

With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are yet again confronting the realities of a polarized country and the lingering pandemic as they navigate mask requirements, vaccine rules and social distancing requirements for the fast-approaching new school year.

The spread of the delta variant and the deep political divisions over the outbreak have complicated decisions in districts from coast to coast. In a handful of conservative states, lawmakers have banned districts from requiring masks despite outcry from medical professionals. Schools are weighing a variety of plans to manage junior high and middle school classrooms filled with both vaccinated and unvaccinated students.

“I’m so frustrated that it’s become a political issue because it shouldn’t be. It’s science,” said Mary Tuttle, an Indianapolis woman who operates an in-home day care center and has watched the debate in her state over vaccines and masks.

Her two young daughters will wear masks when they start school, regardless of whether schools require them. She worries that the delta variant could lead to a return to in-home learning, which caused her 10-year-old daughter to become depressed and anxious last year. The Indianapolis district has not yet announced its mask policy.

“Emotionally, she really needed to be in school,” Tuttle said, adding that her daughter will be vaccinated as soon as the shot is approved for her age group. Another daughter will turn 12...