Free Republic

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...

The House Health Committee is appealing a decision by a bipartisan panel that upheld the statewide mask order for Pennsylvania schools and child care centers. The health committee on Tuesday voted to 15-10 along party lines to challenge the Joint Committee on Documents’ decision. In a 7-4 vote last week, the Joint Committee determined Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam did not violate the law by issuing her order to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Democratic members on the health committee were united in opposing the motion to appeal the matter to Commonwealth Court. They called it a waste of...

A Florida judge on Wednesday ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration for a second time over school mask mandates, allowing school boards to require that students wear face coverings. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper again sided with parents who said an executive order from DeSantis (R) overstepped the state’s authority in restricting school districts from requiring masks. “We have a variant that’s more infectious and more dangerous to children than the one we had last year,” Cooper said when issuing his ruling. “We’re in a non-disputed pandemic situation with threats to young children who, at least based on...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending the continued use of masks and social distancing in schools after issuing new guidance last week that stated vaccinated people do not need to wear masks. On Saturday, the CDC released an Operational Strategy for K-12 schools in which it pointed to data that suggest schools that abide by mask mandates and social-distancing requirements have been able to safely remain open. In the post clarifying mask guidance for schools, the CDC argued that schools need to make efforts to remain open as a way to combat "systemic health and social...