Stafford County School Board votes to keep mask mandate despite Youngkin's order

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Stafford County School Board votes to keep mask mandate despite Youngkin’s order

Michelle Basch | [e-mail]

January 20, 2022, 11:30 PM

The Stafford County School Board voted in favor of keeping a mask mandate in place for all students, staff and visitors with no option of opting out for now, despite Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order ending mask mandates.

The board held an emergency meeting Thursday, and after a closed session, members voted 5-2 on a plan to continue the mask mandate.

Board Member Sarah Chase said she requested the meeting to get clarity on whether the school system should follow Youngkin’s executive order, or follow a state law passed last year. The bill states that school systems in Virginia must “offer and prioritize in-person instruction. It also requires school boards to adhere to mitigation procedures, like mask-wearing, to the extent practicable as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.” ... “After meeting with legal counsel, for me it becomes clearer that we need to uphold the law,” Chase said.

Board Member Alyssa Halstead voted against the plan, and said she wasn’t convinced that the state law superseded the governor’s order. Halstead also said the law is too ambiguous. ... “They say in the law, we have to follow the CDC guidance (but) the CDC does not require mask mandates. They only recommend that masks…be worn,” Halstead said.

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