Governor signs legislation to end mask mandates in public schools

Pictured: Governor Youngkin signs into law a bill making it illegal to require children to wear masks in public schools.

That as Governor Glenn Youngkin after  Virginia’s General Assembly moved swiftly Wednesday to put the final legislative touches on a bill that bans local school systems from imposing mask mandates on students.

The legislature had passed the bill on Monday; Youngkin then amended it to add an emergency clause so that it could take effect before the typical July 1 enactment date for new legislation. The Governor signed the bill Wednesday afternoon, 

Under the amendments added by Youngkin, local systems must allow students to opt out of mask mandates beginning March 1.

Youngkin, for his part, has planned a ceremonial bill signing Wednesday afternoon to celebrate his biggest legislative victory thus far.

In an interview with Fox News, Youngkin noted that Democrats were key to the bill’s passage and that he was pleased to see it draw bipartisan support.

“If you choose your child shouldn’t wear a mask, you can make that decision, and if you want your child to wear a mask, you can make that decision as well. And that’s what Virginia is all about,” he said.

Youngkin won election in November on a campaign platform that emphasized parental choice in education. On his first day in office last month, he signed an executive order ending a statewide mask mandate in schools imposed by Northam.

Youngkin’s order also sought to bar local school systems from imposing mask mandates on their own, but it got bogged down in legal challenges. Local school boards sued, saying it usurps their authority, and an Arlington County judge issued a temporary injunction barring the order from taking effect.

At that point, moderate Democratic Sen. Chap Petersen joined with Republicans to pass legislation giving parents the final decision on whether their children wear masks to school.

Petersen and two other Democrats, including Lynwood Lewis, joined with Republicans to push the legislation through the Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow 21-19 advantage.We reached out to Accomack County Schools Superintendent Chris Holland and Northampton Schools Superintendent Eddie Lawrence as to when they plan to end local mask mandates. Lawrence responded that the School Board will make that call at their February 22 meeting.  For now, we haven’t heard from Accomack.