Conservative activists and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are claiming vindication after several states controlled by Democrats lifted their school mask mandates, even as his executive order allowing parents to opt-out of such mandates faces continued opposition.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Delaware Gov. John Carney, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown all announced that they would be lifting mask mandates for schools in the coming weeks.
The governors’ announcements have met with approval from national Democrats. Youngkin has faced a flurry of lawsuits and sustained resistance since issuing an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates.
DEMOCRATIC NEW JERSEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY ANNOUNCES END TO SCHOOL MASK MANDATE
But signs of softening opposition appeared Tuesday as the Virginia state senate passed legislation that would enshrine Youngkin’s executive order into law on a bipartisan vote, prompting a victory lap by the governor, who vowed to sign the bill once it arrived on his desk.
“In the last week, we have seen Democrat-led states like Oregon, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware move away from universal mask mandates in schools,” Youngkin said in a tweet. “I am pleased that there is bipartisan support for doing the same in Virginia.”
In the last week, we have seen Democrat-led states like Oregon, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware move away from universal mask mandates in schools. I am pleased that there is bipartisan support for doing the same in Virginia.
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) February 8, 2022
But the absence of controversy as Democratic governors removed mandates just weeks after Youngkin issued his executive order was not lost on some Virginia conservative activists, who said the contrast in responses was a testament to the hypocrisy of Virginia Democrats.
Ian Prior, the executive director of the political action committee Fight for Schools, told the Washington Examiner that “the fact that Democrat governors are now following Youngkin’s lead and not receiving the same level of opposition in their states is a testament to the hypocrisy and childish antics of a Democrat Party apparatus in Virginia.”
“Perhaps those criticizing Gov. Youngkin should do more to talk to their constituents than reading their Facebook and Twitter echo chambers and then they could get closer to the reality of the situation — people are done with masks,” Prior said.
Youngkin had campaigned on a platform that leaned heavily on reestablishing parental rights in education and eliminating COVID-19-related mandates. His executive order on school mask mandates was signed hours after he took office on Jan. 15.
In the days after Youngkin’s executive order went into effect, Virginia parent and president of the conservative Independent Women’s Forum Carrie Lukas attempted to send her two elementary-age children to school in Virginia’s Fairfax County without wearing masks.
Her two children were barred from attending school that day, and Lukas told the Washington Examiner that Virginia’s school districts “seem to be dug in and want to force kids to mask as long as possible.”
“At this point, it seems that these school districts simply oppose Gov. Youngkin and don’t want to do anything that could seem like a win for him,” Lukas said. “It’s tremendously sad to see kids denied a normal childhood when adults have long since moved on and been allowed to unmask.”
Prior does see some vindication for parents who have spent months pushing back against school mask mandates.
“It is absolutely a vindication for parents who have been fighting against these mandates,” Prior said. “Most importantly, it will allow children to learn in an environment unfettered by masks, but it also shows how parents can push to make change in our constitutional republic.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Several Republican-controlled states, including Florida and Texas, have banned school mask mandates for months, while Democratic states have sought to mandate masks in schools since they reopened to in-person instruction.
