Some teachers are being offered retention bonuses during the pandemic. Javier Zayas Photography Mask mandates at schools have been a political flashpoint across the US in recent months. Meanwhile, students are exhibiting stress relating to the risks of catching COVID-19, experts say. Students and mental health counselors are warning of the effects on young people's mental wellness. See more stories on Insider's business page. Since the school year began, 16-year-old Brandon Perkins has been carrying hand sanitizer everywhere he goes.He's fully vaccinated, he told Insider in an interview on Saturday, and, at his high school in Strongsville, Ohio, he and his friends wear masks - though plenty of others don't, he said.The Strongsville City Schools district "strongly recommends" that students and staff wear masks while indoors, the superintendent said in a recent letter to parents.