Students and Masks
The ‘Safe Transition for Western Australian Directions’ was signed off by the Police Commissioner yesterday evening.
Section 13 of the Directions states:
“Face coverings
13. A person in the affected area must wear a face covering at all times while they are outside the place where they ordinarily reside, including while in a vehicle (including a motor vehicle, boat or aircraft), unless:
(a) the person is a child 12 years of age or under, except at a time when the child is attending school in Year 7 or above; or”
(b) the person has a physical, developmental or mental illness, injury, condition or disability which makes wearing a face covering unsuitable;"
This means as that all Year 7s and above must wear masks at school from Monday, 8th February. Medical exemptions still apply as per Section 13(b) above.
The AISWA School Psychology Service has compiled resources (attached) to help educators, parents and caregivers to talk about masks with children. AISWA members can login to find additional information on the COVID-19 Wellbeing and Mental Health Resources page.