Back to school with masks — or not?

Fact-checking Ron DeSantis

View this email in your browser  This week:  Ron DeSantis says science backs him up. Does it? … COVID in Sweden; vaccines in Israel … The Atlantic's 9/11 story … What scientists now say about climate change and extreme weather A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    (AP) Ron DeSantis says science backs him up on masks for school kids— but it doesn't Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order stating that schools couldn't mandate that their students wear masks, and that it should be up to parents to decide whether they want their children masked in school buildings.   "WHEREAS, despite recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 'guidance,' forcing students to wear masks lacks a well-grounded scientific justification; indeed, a Brown University study analyzed COVID-19 data for schools in Florida and found no correlation with mask mandates," the order says. Is that right? No. We rated it False.  The Brown study was conducted during the last school year, before the delta variant emerged. It found no correlation between mask mandates in some school districts and lower COVID-19 rates. But the study had some limitations: It looked only at whether mandates existed at particular schools — not at the mask-wearing behavior of students and staffers. And it didn't account for mitigation measures in the surrounding community. We reached out to Emily Oster, a professor of economics at Brown University, and the lead author of the study that DeSantis' order references.  She sent us a statement that said current CDC guidance, taking into account the current virus situation and all available data on masking, suggests masking for all K-12 students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. The study itself also contradicts DeSantis' order, saying, "in-person school can be operated safely with appropriate mitigation, which typically includes universal masking. It would be premature to draw any alternative conclusions about this question based on this preliminary data." The current CDC guidance cites several other studies that show the benefits of masking in schools, and independent researchers have shown similar results. Masking was often combined with other efforts to reduce spread, including improved ventilation and filtration systems.  Overall, multiple experts told us science shows that mask-wearing is effective in protecting children from COVID-19 and preventing COVID transmission in schools. The study that DeSantis' order cited didn't prove the point he was making.  Read the full story.  — Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News Share Tweet Forward The Latest from PolitiFact Critical Race Theory enters VA governor's race. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, said, "We actually have this critical race theory moved into all our schools in Virginia." PolitiFact Virginia rated this False. Critical race theory is being widely discussed by educators across Virginia. But there's a difference between educators learning about the theory and actually teaching it to students. On that front, Youngkin cites a collection of memos and seminars, but no evidence that critical race theory is being taught in each of the state's 1,825 public schools. Critical race theory is not mentioned in the state's Standards of Learning. A growing list of localities say they do not teach it.  Mixed picture for COVID in Sweden. Conservative pundit Steve Deace said that Sweden had few COVID deaths in July, despite low vaccination rates, relaxed lockdown rules and low mask compliance. We rated this Half True. Sweden has imposed fewer restrictions than other countries and had few deaths in July, but its COVID-19 death rate has been above the U.S. and the EU at various times during the pandemic. Sweden has had more COVID-19 deaths per capita than its neighbors, and infections are rising. Vaccine exec unwelcome in Israel? No. A post on social media recently said, "The CEO of Pfizer had to cancel a planned trip to Israel because he was not fully vaccinated." We rated this Mostly False. Months ago, in March, Pfizer's CEO postponed a trip to Israel because he had only received the first of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. He received his second dose a few days after a news report concerning his canceled visit, and he said on Twitter he was "excited" to receive it. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. What we're reading: grief, conspiracy theories and 9/11 The Atlantic magazine published a story this week that grabbed my attention: a long, intimate story of one family's grief as they coped with the loss of the 26-year-old son they lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Bobby McIlvaine died at the World Trade Center that day as if by accident. He didn't work there, but was helping a colleague set up for a presentation. He had a loving mother, father and brother, and he was about to propose to his girlfriend.  I don't want to tell you too much about the story — you should read it for yourself. But one of the things that happens is Bobby's father becomes obsessed with 9/11 conspiracy theories.  I'm asked often how people can believe in conspiracy theories, and how they get sucked in. The Atlantic story shows something that I believe to be true for many others: people can turn to conspiracy theories when they've suffered some sort of trauma or loss, either very real, like Bobby's father, or just perceived. The conspiracies give them a sense of meaning, purpose and control.  Clearly, not everyone who suffers a loss turns to conspiracy theories. And not even all those who spread and share such ideas are wounded people.  But the groups coincide often enough that it gives me sympathy for people who buy into lies.  Fact-checkers can debunk conspiracy theories, but we can't heal the emotional wounds that can lead to their uptake.  Think you can determine fact from fiction? We invite you to participate in our free online course How to Spot Misinformation Online to learn how to recognize health misinformation on the Internet, with an emphasis on COVID-19 vaccines. This short training will have you feeling more confident finding facts on Facebook and other social media platforms. Plus, special guests Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden will share media literacy tips before you put your new skills to the test. Enroll today.  How to Spot Misinformation Online is made possible thanks to Facebook and AARP. What does extreme weather tell us about climate change? As recently as a decade ago, it was considered analytically risky to tie climate change to a particular flood, or a specific heat wave. Can we safely do that now? Not every climate disaster is 100% driven by climate change, but science is getting better at identifying when they are.   A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that it has "high confidence" that the main driver of increased frequency and intensity of hot extremes experienced over most land regions since the 1950s is human-induced climate change.  It is also "likely," the report said, that human influence has resulted in a greater frequency of concurrent heatwaves and droughts on the global scale, fires in some regions and compound flooding in some places. Read our report for more details on what scientists are seeing when they look at climate change and extreme weather.  — Jon Greenberg As politics shape voter ID debate, the rules keep getting stricter Efforts to tighten identification requirements for voting, largely driven by Republicans, have been under way for about two decades, but they accelerated this year in the wake of the 2020 election. While the debate over voter ID laws often seems like it's one between two irreconcilable camps, there's actually more nuance. A wide variety of voter ID requirements and verification processes already exist, and critics of tightening voter ID laws usually don't have a problem with these as long as there are a wide number of options and backup processes exist. Meanwhile, polls show broad public support for voter ID laws, including among Democrats. Our full report looks at the laws that experts regard as sensible and fair, compared with more extreme rules that actually could disenfranchise voters.  — Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman   Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Contrary to claims, masks have been shown to limit COVID spread   No, Nancy Pelosi was not calling the shots for Capitol security on Jan. 6   CNN clip about Andrew Cuomo doesn't include Jeffrey Toobin   No, Chicago police officer Ella French didn't leave behind an infant child   Link between a COVID-19 variant and a firm that works in 5G? Just the word 'delta'   No evidence yet concluding that ivermectin is an effective COVID-19 treatment Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  No, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics didn't predict the pandemic See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S 33701 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Add us to your address book

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