Thread by @McpsWhispers

There have been some articles about the masks that @mcps distributed to staff, but they’ve missed the mark. Here’s your real headline: “MCPS doubles down, claims masks offer ‘higher level of protection’ despite data.” A thread (1/21)

There has been some news coverage of this issue, but it has failed to capture the fullness of #MCPS negligence. @wtop @fox5dc @wusa9 @7newsdc @nbcwashington (2/21)

@WTOP @fox5dc @wusa9 @7NewsDC @nbcwashington First, the masks. Here is an image that an MCPS teacher sent me. These masks match with the following test data: cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/re… (3/21)

These data are significant because it shows that not only do these masks fail to perform at the KN95 standard, but they actually perform worse than simple surgical masks. (4/21)

MCPS claims that the data don’t matter because the masks were “evaluated” as “face coverings.” This is where a lot of the reporting has ended, when really this is where the problems begin. (5/21)

MCPS is attempting to use this loophole to avoid responsibility. However, their own words have both misrepresented the safety of the masks and instructed staff to use them in lieu of others. (6/21)

In their January 9th statement, @MCPS said: “These masks provide a higher level of protection than most other masks, and we strongly encourage students and staff to wear them when inside MCPS facilities as masks continue to be required.” (7/21)

@MCPS This statement does 2 things: it makes a claim about the relative protection offered by the masks, and it encourages staff to use these masks in lieu of other masks. (8/21)

@MCPS Telling staff that the masks offer better protection flies in the face of the evidence. It doesn’t matter whether you call it a face covering, a mask, or my left foot. They said they offer a “higher level of protection.” They don’t. (9/21)

@MCPS Some have been distracted by the issue of fit. If MCPS were invested in this, they would have performed fit-testing for their employees. My MCPS staff contacts tell me this did not happen. Any discussion of fit in coverage should mention MCPS failure to fit test. (10/21)

@MCPS The MCPS statement also encourages staff to choose these masks instead of others. This is disturbing. Staff wearing surgical masks may have swapped theirs, believing that they were safer. In reality, this could have increased their risk of exposure. (11/21)

@MCPS Staff are of course able to choose the masks they wish to wear. Staff cannot make these decisions when supplies are misrepresented to them. If MCPS stands behind their decision, they should put the data front and center, not try to obfuscate (12/21)

@MCPS So, why would MCPS claim that these masks offer “a higher level of protection than most other masks,” when data showing the contrary was published in June of 2020? A few explanations come to mind. (13/21)

@MCPS Did MCPS fail to research the masks that they purchased? In gaffes like these, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they have the basic competence to Google, especially w/ so much coverage about low-quality and/or counterfeit masks (14/21)

@MCPS Did MCPS truly “evaluate” these masks as “face coverings” rather than as “respirators”? If so, they should have addressed the performance data, rather than spouting generic statements about KN95s (which these technically aren’t because they do not meet the KN95 standard!) (15/21)

@MCPS My own guess? The masks were cheap. @MCPS wants to look good and be able to say they’re giving out “KN95” masks. These were cheap (because anyone who does their homework knows they’re the proverbial “diamond for a dollar” that isn’t worth a dime) (16/21)

@MCPS By trying to be frugal, @MCPS has wasted an unspecified amount of money on masks that are worse than useless. By presenting them as a superior alternative, MCPS has actually made the work environment more hazardous for employees (17/21)

@MCPS #MCPS statements about the masks they provided to staff were misinformed at best. MCPS has doubled down on their statements with this “face covering” tactic, in order to distract people from how they misrepresented the protection they claimed to offer employees. (18/21)

@MCPS They either lied on purpose or are recklessly unaware of the data published in June 2020. No matter why this happened, there is only 1 course of action. @MCPS must recall the masks and supply legitimate alternatives—and the data to prove they’ll work. (19/21)

@MCPS Of course, knowing the @mocoBOE, I expect nothing less than a 3 hour Zoom call where our officials congratulate one another on providing these masks at all, while sitting in safe isolation at home. (20/21)

@MCPS @mocoboe If @MCPS expects employees to engage in “data driven” practice, they need to start with leadership. Use the testing data that’s available, whether it’s mask data from June 2020 or case counts from January 2022. You absolute cowards. /thread (21/21)