During an emergency meeting this afternoon, the School Board voted 5-2 to recognize a law that expires on August 1, requiring schools to provide in-person instruction (something Stafford has done since early August 2021) and adhere to CDC recommendations, which include wearing face masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Students eating or drinking, playing an instrument, on playground equipment, those with trouble breathing, or with a religious exemption don’t have to wear them, the School Board decided.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order making masks optional for students takes effect Monday, January 24.
Two newly-elected School Board members who campaigned on making face masks optional for students, Maureen Siegmund and Alyssa Halstead, were the dissenting votes.
“As School Board members, we took an oath to uphold the law of Virginia. After meeting with legal counsel, it is important to uphold the law,” said Falmouth District representative Dr. Sarah Chase.
Before voting to keep masks, the School Board spent more than an hour in a closed meeting with lawyers. Multiple School Board members said it was that consultation that convinced them to vote to uphold the school division’s mask mandate,
After speaking to our lawyer and listening to a plethora of information of how the law is written and how she explained it, her legal advice to us to adhere to the law as it is written,” said Aquia District representative Maya Guy.
George Washington District representative, Susan Randall, thought to be the swing vote on the recently-seated Board with three new members following the November 2021 election, motioned to maintain the mandate.
Randall said she hopes legislators or judges in Richmond end mask requirements for schools across the state in the same breath. The Virginia Supreme Court is set to hear a case involving Youngkin’s order.
“I look forward to removing this mask sooner than later,” added Randall.
In August, the CDC recommended face masks for children in public schools. Days before the start of the new school year, Stafford’s School Board voted to institute a face mask requirement for anyone in a school building on the advice of their lawyers.
“I don’t believe this school board holds power to remove parental consent on any level or any basis
[executive order] supersedes the law that is ambiguous,” said Halstead. “The CDC does not require mask mandates. It only recommends them.”
“I think the parental opt-out portion is something we need to consider very seriously,” said Siegmund, who called for more discussion on the matter.
School Board Chair Patricia Healy said the Board would discuss the matter again if the Supreme Court rules the governor’s excutive order can be enforced or when the statewide mask rule ends August 1.
“It is my hope this community will be able to come tougher, notwithstanding the fact there are two sides to this issue,” she said.
Stafford’s School Board has consistently voted to direct school staff, now led by Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor, on how to proceed with the division’s face mask mandate.
To the south in Spotsylvania County, the School Board voted to make masks optional this week. School Boards took a back seat to the north in Prince William County and Manassas and let their respective school superintendents make the call.
As the governor’s deadline quickly approaches, multiple parents and conservative lawmakers took to social media to encourage parents to send their children to school without face coverings on Monday, calling it #MasklessMonday.
Stafford school officials did not discuss the ramifications of students who do not wear a mask to school. Masks are required on school buses across the U.S.
