Oklahoma won't require masks in schools, so a teacher who's a 72-year-old cancer survivor is offering students extra credit to wear them

• A teacher in Oklahoma plans to offer extra credit to encourage students to wear masks, NBC News reported.
• The teacher, who is a 72-year-old prostate cancer survivor, told NBC News that he will wear a plastic face shield in addition to a face mask while teaching in class.
• In July, Oklahoma's State Board of Education voted against mask mandates in schools, making it a 'recommendation' but not a requirement.

As schools prepare to reopen, one teacher in Oklahoma plans to offer extra credit to his students who wear masks in his class.

Lawrence E. "Train" Lane is a government and world history teacher set to return to school next week in Checotah. As a 72-year-old prostate cancer survivor, he's highly vulnerable to the consequences of being infected with coronavirus, and offering extra credit to encourage students to wear masks in class for protection, he told NBC News.

"I would like to stay around a little longer," Lane said.

In Oklahoma, masks are recommended — but not required — in many schools. In July, the State Board of Education voted down a mask mandate, leaving it up to local school districts to decide for themselves.

Monte Madewell, the superintendent of the Checotah public school district, told Insider that the district "strongly recommends" but does not mandate masks in schools. Madewell said the decision was made by the school district's board of education.

Oklahoma has a total of over 41,000 confirmed cases according to Johns Hopkins University, and nearly 600 deaths.

Lane is one of many teachers who have expressed concerns about reopening schools as the new academic year draws near.

Research and data show that schools are likely to be highly vulnerable to widespread coronavirus transmission. Despite these concerns for public health, the Trump administration has given little guidance, a former chief medical information officer for New York City Health and Hospitals, previously told Business Insider.

"We haven't had a lot of guidance at the federal level on any of this, specifically around schools," he said.

• Read more:
• An emergency medicine physician projects that if schools open in the fall, they'll close by the end of October with COVID-19 outbreaks
• Mounting research paints a bleak picture for schools trying to reopen. Most large schools can expect coronavirus cases within 1 week.
• 'I totally am preparing to get sick': Teachers in coronavirus hotspots don't know when they'll feel safe returning to school
• Students say they were suspended and others threatened with 'consequences' for posting photos of their school's packed hallways