The independent Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation (OSCE) report, released Jan. 29, 2021, helps show the effectiveness of masks in controlling spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Between November and December 2020, amid surging cases of COVID-19, the evaluation showed that children exposed to COVID-19 who consistently wore a mask in the classroom were well-protected, with fewer than 3% of those masked testing positive for COVID-19. The evaluation shows that more than 97% of the children who correctly wore masks in the classroom avoided illness with COVID-19.

The evaluation included 728 students from classrooms in seven school districts and was conducted between Nov. 10 and Dec. 18, 2020.