This seems to be the biggest point of contention. "Kids and schools" aren't the issue; it's how we deal with kids under 5 or 7 (WHO recommends masks over 5). I don't disagree with your complaint, but I do think that throwing out everything the CDC says because they don't address legitimate issues with younger children is problematic.
FTR, both statements that came out (masking vaccinated people indoors and K-12) don't apply to kids under 5.
Classic strawman. I never said to throw out everything the CDC says, but they have discredited themselves and shot themselves in the foot by what they've done.
And yes, the *current* mandate applies to kids over 5, but we've seen since covid started that the CDC has been stricter on kids than virtually every other country, and they continue to be stricter on kids (planes still require masks for 3 year olds, for heaven's sake), and so we can be legitimately worried that their ever-changing guidelines will soon suggest masking 3-5 year olds too, or shutting down in-person schools entirely in some areas.
And you do know that Fauci himself says 3-year-olds should be forced to wear masks, right?