If Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wants to 'follow the science' on masking in schools, he should probably ask for directions first

Earlier this week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona made the case for masking in schools:

Let’s be data-driven and follow the science when it comes to protecting our students in schools. What does science say about the importance of masking in school?

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

Let Secretary Cardona tell you what the science says. Trust him on this.

A Utah study found that high levels of mask-wearing among students helped lead to a less than 1% rate of in-school spread. https://t.co/gJLW1loHce

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

A Wisconsin study found that schools that required masking had a 37% lower incidence of COVID-19 than the surrounding community. https://t.co/hGN5eX3Bau

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

Doctors & scientists at @AbcCollab conducted studies involving nearly 1 million students & concluded that universal masking in schools helped keep transmission rates to under 1% last fall and spring. https://t.co/nB9HwmSSJe

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

A study from North Carolina State researchers found that without masking policies or other interventions in place, within the first three months of school, the delta variant could infect more than 75% of susceptible kids. https://t.co/yuYH5LFlY2

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

The evidence is clear – universal masking will keep our children safe and fight against school closures and mass outbreaks. #VaxToSchool

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) September 27, 2021

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The evidence is clear! Or is it?

https://twitter.com/paulf84/status/1443028650065072134

Well? Is it?

Much of this article is dedicated to explaining how that study did not prove anything about masks in North Carolina, even as it has other valid insights. https://t.co/xif3xxYKHq

— Quality Schools for Every Child (@schools_us) September 28, 2021

Huh.

THIS IS IS NOT A STUDY, IT’S A MODEL! “COVID-19 Projections for K12 Schools in Fall 2021”

— MG (@mgelizabethx) September 28, 2021

Mr. Secretary, did you actually look closely at that North Carolina “study”?

“Should not be used to guide clinical practice.” Uh-oh, Miguel!

I'm seriously worried that you are the Secretary of Education. What kind of an education did you get that you think this useless model is "science" that proves something about masks?

— MKLiberty650 (@FrancieNolan6) September 28, 2021

And how about the Wisconsin study that Cardona cites as evidence that masking in schools reduces transmission? Shall we go to the lead author of that study, one Dr. Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD?

Let’s:

Secretary Cardona, I was the senior author of this study. Our study is not able to give any information about the role masks played in the observed low in-school transmission rates. We had no control group so don't know if the rate would have been different without masks.

— Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD (@TracyBethHoeg) September 28, 2021

How interesting!

Shot, chaser pic.twitter.com/st0jt7P628

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 29, 2021

Welp.

pic.twitter.com/ux02T3tsRD

— Nuclear Herbs (@NuclearHerbs) September 29, 2021

pic.twitter.com/nDngUditn3

— 🌸Lynae🌸 (@lynaem88) September 29, 2021

Got anything to say, Secretary Cardona?

It’s almost like, and bear with me here, the administration is not “following the science”. 😬

— Jay Knower (@jcknower) September 28, 2021

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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona thanks Randi Weingarten ‘for supporting getting back to in-person learning safely & quickly’