State Senator Wants Schools to Warn About “Potential Harms” of Mask Usage

Oklahoma City, Okla. (KOKH) — After a recent court ruling, more and more Oklahoma school districts have started to require masks.

A judge temporarily blocked part of Oklahoma Senate Bill 658 which prevented schools from requiring them.

State Senator Rob Standridge, one of the authors of SB 658, has now written a letter to the state attorney general saying those schools should have to follow certain guidelines.

Standridge, who has been vocal about his opposition to school mask requirements, says he also wants schools to warn of what he calls potential harms of wearing masks.

“They shouldn’t be required to go out there and seek these potential harms and risks that I layout for them,” Standridge said about parents. “I think that’s the responsibility of the person mandating those masks.”

Citing the World Health Organization, Standridge says he has concerns about kids contaminating their masks and wants schools to be responsible for preventing that.

On its website, the organization says kids should be washing their hands before putting on masks and should avoid touching them.

It also says they should have adequate supervision to wear them properly.

While health experts are recommending masking in schools, Standridge believes masks can also cause adverse outcomes.

“Some of those potential harms are lesions on the face, acne, different things like that that have been shown to be a problem with long-term mask usage,” Standridge said.

Those concerns are mentioned in a 2020 document from the World Health Organization.

The CDC is recommending that everyone inside schools, regardless of vaccination status, should be wearing a mask.