Loudoun County Public Schools announced Wednesday that it is dropping its school mask mandate hours after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a new law requiring schools to allow parents to opt their children out of such mandates.
Loudoun was among the school districts in the state that had defied Youngkin’s executive order that functionally ordered the same thing as the new law. The new rules on masks go into effect on Feb. 22, before the new law goes into effect on March 1.
“We ask our families to help us maintain a healthy and safe learning environment by staying vigilant and taking precautions that protect against the transmission of COVID-19, including outside our school buildings,” district Superintendent Scott Ziegler said in the announcement. “We will continue to keep our families and community informed of any future changes to our mitigation strategies.”
YOUNGKIN SIGNS BILL CODIFYING SCHOOL MASK OPT-OUT, LIKELY ENDING STATE’S MASK WAR
The district will continue to recommend mask-wearing “while community transmission rates remain high,” but it will no longer be required for students. Per federal regulations, masks will still be required on school buses. The announcement also says that vaccinated employees will no longer be required to wear a mask.
The new law replaced Youngkin’s previous executive order, which had been tied up in court proceedings. Loudoun had threatened to suspend students that failed to wear a mask on school premises, and a security official for the district had directed principals to obtain warrants from a magistrate so local law enforcement would arrest unmasked students for trespassing.
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Loudoun County has been the epicenter for a national parental revolt against school boards. The district’s board meetings have gone viral after scores of parents have blasted the board during public comment periods over its handling of pandemic-related restrictions, including masks, as well as the inclusion of controversial curricula in school lesson plans. Several members of the board are facing recall efforts.
