Considering recent differences of opinion, when Central Bucks School District teaches Shakespeare this fall, Hamlet’s famous quote might well be reframed as “To mask or not to mask?” Parents at a recent meeting passionately voiced different opinions on the district’s face-coverings decision. Emily Rizzo chronicled the varying opinions for WHYY.

The school district recently announced its approach to the fall session: No masks. No contract tracing.

That stance had its champions and detractors, both of whom were fervently vocal at the district’s school board meeting.

Those suggesting that the policy was too lax cited recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Both organizations favor school-year mask requirements for in-person instruction for all students, staff, and teachers — even if they have been vaccinated.

Paree Pasi, a rising junior, lives with immunocompromised grandparents. Her home situation shapes her view of the need for caution. She rhetorically asked, “Why take the chance of your children dying when there are preventative measures we can take?”

On the other hand, parent Jaime Walker, with three children in the district, is happy with the mask-less plan. She’s eager for her kids to return to “normal” classrooms.

The issue is particularly concerning because many students in the district are too young to get vaccines.

One parent floated the specter of liability, posing the what-if scenario of a coronavirus fatality that started with an in-school infection.

More on this contentious issue is at WHYY.