Schools confront more polarization with mask rules With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are yet again confronting the realities of a polarized country Author: In this April 27 photo, a school bus travels through Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, on the Navajo Nation. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are yet again confronting the realities of a polarized country Heather Hollingsworth, Tammy Webber and Todd Richmond Associated Press Students in Wichita, Kansas, public schools can ditch the masks when classes begin. Detroit public schools will probably require them unless everyone in a room is vaccinated. In Pittsburgh, masks will likely be required regardless of vaccination status. And in some states, schools cannot mandate face coverings under any circumstances.