State law requires public school districts to require universal masking

RICHMOND, Virginia (WWBT) – Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that legislation passed earlier this year by the General Assembly will have an impact on how schools deal with masking this fall.

The law not only requires in-person learning options in all public school districts this fall, but also requires school systems to follow “all currently applicable mitigation strategies … to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by CDC “.

The most recent update from the CDC came last week, with health officials recommending universal masking in schools.

“The CDC recommends that everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors – regardless of immunization status,” said the director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky.

Virginia’s Secretary of Education was due to send letters to superintendents by the end of the day, detailing the law and saying the actions would be monitored. If school districts fail to comply by requiring masks, legal action could follow.

“The CDC directive is that people in schools must wear masks,” Northam said.

“The CDC guidelines don’t mean the government has to step in and tell people what to do,” Virginia Senator Siobhan Dunnavant, (R) 12th District.

Dunnavant pushed for the law, but she says she has no plans to require masks in school.

“The wording actually says to follow CDC guidelines whenever possible… Masks are a hindrance for some children. I can’t tell you how many parents and how many patients have come to tell me about their children’s anxiety about masks, ”said Dunnavant, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist.

Previously, Henrico Schools had said that students and teachers would have a choice. On Thursday, a spokesperson said that was before the CDC’s recent recommendation and the increase in community transmission. The updated guidelines, the district said, will be submitted to the school board when it meets again in a week’s time.

“This law was passed by a strong bipartisan vote in the legislature, and I expect school divisions will follow it. If they choose not to follow it, they should have a frank discussion with their legal counsel, ”Northam said.

“So the school boards that decided to make this optional, your decision-making process was not good enough. Now you’re going to have to get legal counsel, ”Dunnavant said.

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