The Evidence Supporting Mask Mandates in Schools Is Weaker Than Biden Pretends

Wading into the bitter debate about face mask mandates in schools, President Joe Biden is threatening civil rights lawsuits against states that ban such requirements. "Some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures…into political disputes for their own political gain," Biden complained last week, saying his administration won't "sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children."

Biden's framing implies that school officials are indisputably "protecting our children" by forcing them to cover their faces all day and that anyone who suggests otherwise is motivated only by crass partisan motives. Yet...