Posted on 02/15/2022 12:42:50 PM PST by lightman
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to sign into law a bill that would make sure parents have the ability to choose if their child wears a mask at school.
The proposed legislation, known as Senate Bill 739, would amend Virginia’s education law to protect the right of parents to opt their children out of mask requirements on school grounds. The changes would apply to all public elementary and secondary schools, as well as all school-based childhood care and education programs.
“A parent making such an election shall not be required to provide a reason or any certification of the child’s health or education status. No student shall suffer any adverse disciplinary or academic consequences as a result of this parental election,” the bill’s language states.
The bill passed the Virginia Senate on Feb. 9 by a largely party-line vote of 21 to 17, with three Democrats joining the Republicans in support of the measure. It then passed the House on Feb. 14 by a vote of 52 to 48 without any Democrat support.
Senate Bill 739 now awaits the signature of Youngkin, who is expected to add an emergency clause so that the proposed changes could come into effect as early as March 1.
“I am pleased that there is widespread and bipartisan support in Virginia for a parental opt-out of mask mandates in schools,” the Republican governor said Monday. “Today, the General Assembly took a significant step for parents and children. After passing both chambers of the General Assembly, SB 739 will give parents a choice regarding their child’s health, education, upbringing, and care.”
Democrat state lawmakers, who not too long ago supported the Ralph Northam administration’s K-12 school mask mandate, now argued that it should be left for individual school districts to decide their own mask policy. Meanwhile, the Republicans said that the changes will not prevent parents who wish to keep their children masked at school from doing so.
“You still have an option to send your child to school with a mask. No one is stopping that,” said Republican Delegate Emily Brewer. “But I will tell you who will remember this: In a decade, these children will wonder who stood up for their freedom. They will wonder who stood up for parents and who stood up for an option.”
The passage of the bill comes after a judge blocked Youngkin’s initial attempt to give parents the final say on masking for their children via an executive action. In an opinion letter issued Feb. 4, Judge Louise D. Matteo of Circuit Court of Arlington County ruled Youngkin’s executive order goes against a state law saying school districts should follow federal health guidelines as much as possible.
“While the General Assembly has granted to the Governor significant and sweeping general powers to address an emergency, when confronted with a specific statute addressing the manner in which in-person learning can resume and directs local school boards to follow the guidance of the CDC, ‘to the maximum extent practicable,’ it does not follow that the Governor, even in an emergency, can direct the School Boards to ignore the General Assembly’s deference to CDC guidance and to abandon their considered determination about what is practicable regarding those mitigation strategies,” Matteo wrote.
Too bad congressional republicans couldn't have helped Trump more like this.
Repeat after me, I don’t need the government’s permission to…(insert thing here)
If Youngkin had the ballz that everyone wishes, he’d signal that he’s looking at legislation that would allow parents that homeschool to be exempt from school taxes. Watch what happens then.
....as a former resident of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, I could not support Governor Youngkin more...but if I recall, one of the communist school boards in within the Peoples Democratic Republic of Northern Virginia actually put wearing a mask in their schools’ dress codes....no mask? those children are going against the dress code and can be removed from school....any word on the status of this egregious situation...??
I fully expect Biden to announce at his fake State of the Union that “Covid has been beaten and mandates are no longer needed.” He has to wait until then because he can’t do the usual speech with all the house, senate and judges present. That would be a laughing stock with Joe losing his place on the teleprompter and making gaff after gaff.
Obey the Fed bureau edicts as much as possible, little people.
....I’ll believe that when I see him and all his administration weenies come out to press conferences, meeting, etc., without wearing their face diapers... It is just sooooooo absurd seeing all these flunkies wearing these stoooopid things outdoors...!!!
The penalty for educators who violate it needs to be 5 years for each occurance. Otherwise they will just ignore this.
Joe needs something to brag about. It sure isn’t the economy.
Foreign policy? Doubt anyone would buy that. Bringing the country together...lol. That leaves beating Covid singlehandedly like he did ol’ Cornpop. Wonder if he put a dead dog on Cornpop’s porch, too.
Yes- that’s our school district in Fairfax County.
“The bill passed the Virginia Senate on Feb. 9 by a largely party-line vote of 21 to 17, with three Democrats joining the Republicans in support of the measure. It then passed the House on Feb. 14 by a vote of 52 to 48 without any Democrat support.”
Sad that so few Dims are willing follow the science or support freedom of choice/bodily autonomy.
The state senate is controlled by democrats, so that wouldn’t work. But during the campaign, he talked about vouchers in which parents can use them for any school they choose. School districts don’t tax as they do in some states. It’s part of your property tax. I understand where you are coming from, but it’s not very realistic.
Yes, students have been suspended for not wearing masks in various school districts of Northern Virginia.
but it’s not very realistic.....very true.
But, one has to do a quick scan on the President Donald J Trump Method of Getting Sh*t Done.
Throw a teaser out there. Back it up at a press conference with a quick....”yes, it’s something me and my staff are working on and we think we can present to the legislature in the next couple of weeks”.
Two things happen, immediately. Parent’s head pop up out of the sand hearing that their taxes might be able to be lowered. Next, the teachers union, radical Leftist teachers and school boards, and their ilk start having seizures.
Then, if this thing picks up a little steam, he starts to solicit ideas and policies to make it happen or, at least, keep the conversation moving and in the news. Free of charge.
As that happens, all the negative stuff happens as a result of the Democrats and the Left. He forces them to paint themselves into a corner and get more people against them. Because, then, while using, the President Donald J Trump Method of Getting Sh*t Done, he offers some type of compromise that they have to cave to. And gets ideas like this planted in the voters brains.
Never know until you try.
I like the way you think - seizures - very funny and so true.
Watch out for teachers giving D’s to maskless white students.
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