School masking and COVID-19 community transmission: a synthetic control study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

K-12 schools are not only educational settings but also hubs of social interaction, making them potential drivers of disease transmission within households and communities. While many existing studies have assessed school masking in relation to in-school transmission, the broader community impact of mandatory school masking policies on SARS-CoV-2 infection rates remains poorly understood.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective quasi-experimental study using the synthetic control method to evaluate the association between masking policies and community infection rates during the fall 2021 US school reopening period, when most schools returned to in-person learning but masking policies varied substantially. Analyses accounted for community characteristics prior to r

SUBMITTER: Luan X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12723219 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature