I live in Buffalo NY, and recently there was a report of a possible Coronavirus outbreak here. I told my kids (3 boys) to start wearing medical masks when they leave the house. We already have some here as it's a common practice when the younger 2 get sick, plus I ordered cotton masks as to not have to purchase any more disposable ones (there is a shortage, so I'm trying to do my part to save them for the sick)

Yesterday my 10 yr old son was asked to remove his mask. He tried to refuse, but after threatening to send him to the principal he complied. I was angry when I found out, and told my son to continue to wear it, and to have the school call me if they give him a hard time

Today I sent him in with a mask again. Once again they told him to remove it. He refused, and was sent to the principal's office. The principal told him that wearing the mask doesn't stop you from catching the virus, it only stops people from spreading it, so it wasn't necessary for him to wear one. (I googled a bit and got a couple mixed responses, so I'm unsure if that's accurate or not)

I feel like it's not the school's decision to make. I don't typically fight against policies, but this seems insane to me. Him wearing it is not disruptive to his learning, so why force him to remove it?

I don't know if this is a battle worth fighting or if I'm being paranoid. Would I be an asshole to keep sending him in with a mask? Obviously I'd have to argue with the principal, and I don't want to negatively impact my son's school experience. But I don't feel like this is their decision to make

Edit 3 - My son didn't get into any trouble. As I found out today, them sending him to the principal was not a punishment. No literature had gone out yet, and this was more of a way to let the kids and parents know why they felt masks weren't necessary. I have not changed my stance that I feel that's not their decision to make, but I am respecting their wishes

Edit 2 - The mask my son wore was a disposable mask that I already had on hand from when my 7 yr old had the flu.

The masks I currently purchased were simply cotton & elastic - not effective as I'm now being informed. But I didn't buy any speciality masks. As I said previously, I'm aware of the shortage, and don't want to contribute to it. The masks I bought are from Etsy, IE homemade

I have not once argued against any medical professional. My question was about my rights as a mother.

I love my kids school, and I know most of the faculty. But you can't put out an automatic call about Coronavirus possibly being in the area and expect parents to not get concerned. I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a mom who loves her kids. My children were also not the only ones to show up with masks.

Thank you to those who have given me good info & feedback

Edit 1 - I hear what you guys are saying about the differences in masks. That makes sense

I was omw to an open house (where the principal was), which is why I posted here first. I definitely wouldn't make my kid take the fall without talking to someone. He wasn't the only child wearing a mask. My teenage son said his school has been encouraging them to wear masks, so there's a lot of mixed info out there

I decided to back down on this. It's not the proper mask, and the outbreaks here are not confirmed, so I see that I'd be TA if I fought this. Thanks for the feedback