A survey recently conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Education found 346 school districts, or 65 percent of the 536 districts surveyed, have some form of mandatory mask policy in place for teachers or both staff and students.

The remaining 35 percent do not mandate mask-wearing. That news has raised the question: Why aren’t the other districts requiring masks during a pandemic?

Data collected by the Oklahoma State Department of Health provides one answer. In many districts that have not mandated mask-wearing, there is little or no COVID-19 spread in the local community, even in places whe...