(CNN) The back-to-school season is turning into a frightening one for parents and children as they find themselves in the middle of political skirmishes over mask and vaccine mandates , leaving students' safety determined more by geography and the political whims of governors than the science that should be guiding best practices. In this dangerous new phase of the pandemic, when the seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases is topping 100,000, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other acolytes of former President Donald Trump have made school mask requirements the new front in the Covid culture wars. Some Florida school districts are trying to get around DeSantis' order with verbal gymnastics. In Arkansas, a judge has temporarily prevented the state from enforcing its law banning masks mandates in schools.

Source: CNN August 08, 2021 03:56 UTC