Though student mask mandates are expiring in California and Los Angeles County this week, students who attend the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) must remain masked—leaving parents and students frustrated. Lisa Sanchez, whose daughter is in LAUSD, called the situation a “never-ending battle.” “We’re very upset that the school hasn’t lifted the mandate sooner,” Sanchez told The Epoch Times. “District officials claim to follow the science—yet the science has spoken—and here our kids are still masked.” The state’s largest school district cannot change its indoor mask requirement without first negotiating an existing contract with the teacher’s union, United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA); the contract includes a requirement for “enforced masking” for the entire 2021–2022 school year. Sanchez said she has grown frustrated with the way the teacher’s union is using masks as “bargaining chips” to negotiate their own benefits. “Our children’s health is being used as bargaining chips …