Mask Mandate
Critical Analysis
According to the data in the map above, do more states have mask mandates, or bans on mask mandates for schools?
Describe the rules in your state regarding mask mandates at school, and explain your opinion of your school’s mask policy.
What story does the data from the map tell about politics in the United States?
What is one consequence of the diversity of mask policies across the United States?
Federalism is the division of power between the national and state government. Explain how the data from the map above relates to the concept of federalism.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution contains the Supremacy Clause, which reads, "This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof…shall be the supreme law of the land.” Imagine that the U.S. national (federal) government passed a law imposing a mask mandate upon all schools. Then imagine that a state like Texas filed suit claiming that the mask mandate was unconstitutional. Describe how the U.S. government could use the Supremacy Clause to argue that their law was constitutional.
The Bill or Rights guarantees liberty and freedoms to all Americans including freedom of speech, religion, assembly, privacy, etc. Describe how a state could use the Bill of Rights to argue that their laws regarding masks was Constitutional.
If a lawsuit regarding masks made it’s way through the judicial system it would eventually reach The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Imagine you were one of the nine justices of the Supreme Court. Of the two arguments above, explain which is more convincing to you.
Science and medicine are the same in all states. Why do you think laws and rules about mask mandates are not the same in all of the United States.
Explain the relationship between the outcome of the 2020 election (as displayed in the visual extension* below) and the mask mandate map above.
Learning Extension
Read more about state mask mandates from this short report from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Action Extension
Contact your state or federal representatives and let them know what you think of your state’s mask mandate.