Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday that allows parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates. Youngkin had campaigned on rolling back Virginia’s Covid-19 restrictions and giving parents more agency in their children’s education, but the order he signed on his first day in office was met with lawsuits from Virginia school districts and a group of parents who wanted the mask requirements to remain in place. Many counties and cities, however, have their own indoor mask mandates and many individual school districts still require students to wear masks even in the absence of a statewide mandate. She argued that the legislation “ties the hands of local schools” and would make Virginia more in step with Florida, which has punished school districts that kept mask mandates without allowing parents to opt out.

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History of this topic

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal court on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge to Iowa Gov. The ruling marks the conclusion of the yearslong court battle, originating in the fall of 2021 with a lawsuit alleging that Reynolds violated federal disability law by preventing schools from adopting mask mandates as an accommodation for students with disabilities. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU …

Arizona governor OK’s ban on school COVID-19 vaccines
2 years, 7 months ago

Arizona governor OK’s ban on school COVID-19 vaccines

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona’s Republican governor has signed legislation that will prevent state health officials from ever adding a COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required school inoculations and bar face mask mandates in any buildings operated by state or local governments. One would bar schools from requiring students to don masks unless their parents gave their explicit OK and another …

2 more bills targeting COVID rules head to Ducey’s desk
2 years, 7 months ago

2 more bills targeting COVID rules head to Ducey’s desk

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Two more bills restricting responses to the coronavirus pandemic are heading to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk, including one that would impact the ability of future state leaders to respond to another airborne-spreading disease and a second blocking the state from ever requiring schoolchildren to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Senators also approved a bill barring the state Health …

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
2 years, 7 months ago

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved

LA Times  

The CDC urges people to mask up in indoor public places where cases are rising, but few local jurisdictions are bringing back requirements. In New York City, cases are again rising and this week crossed the city’s threshold for “medium risk” due to the widening spread of the Omicron subvariant knowns as BA.2. “I don’t anticipate many places, if any, …

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
2 years, 7 months ago

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue. In New York City, cases are again rising and this week crossed the city’s threshold for “medium …

Ducey signs bills limiting school mask, vaccination rules
2 years, 7 months ago

Ducey signs bills limiting school mask, vaccination rules

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed legislation that prohibits government agencies from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and bars schools from mandating masks for students under age 18 unless their parents approve. The bills approved by the Republican governor are the latest measures backed only by GOP members of the Legislature responding to what they believe are overly-aggressive government …

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise

Associated Press  

The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant …

Georgia push on COVID rules aims at vaccines, school masks
2 years, 8 months ago

Georgia push on COVID rules aims at vaccines, school masks

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia public school students are now free of mask mandates for five years, while a one-year ban on letting governments and schools require vaccines against COVID-19 neared Gov. The Republican Kemp on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 514, which would let parents opt their children out of school mask mandates for the next five years. “The Unmask Georgia Students …

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms
2 years, 9 months ago

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools will stop requiring face masks for staff and students in the nation’s third-largest school district starting March 14, officials announced Monday. “CPS was one of the first to require universal masking in schools, and we would not be moving to a mask-optional model unless the data and our public health experts indicated that it is …

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends
2 years, 9 months ago

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends

Associated Press  

BUFFALO, N.Y. — School districts across New York state, including many of the largest, made mask wearing optional for students and staff beginning Wednesday as a statewide mandate came to an end. “I thought it was good because I could finally breathe better.” In New York City, which has the nation’s largest school district, an indoor mask mandate is expected …

Illinois COVID-19 mask mandate ending for most indoor spaces
2 years, 9 months ago

Illinois COVID-19 mask mandate ending for most indoor spaces

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The need for face coverings in most indoor spaces in Illinois was ending Monday as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic eases. In the rest of Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said last week that the city would also lift its mask mandate Monday, along with a requirement that people show proof of vaccination at places such as …

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule
2 years, 9 months ago

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule

Associated Press  

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the head of state’s association of school superintendents say about 85% to 90% of school districts across the state have elected to drop mandatory face mask wearing as of Monday, the day when local officials were allowed to decide whether to extend the state’s mask mandate. “I do have a mom …

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air
2 years, 9 months ago

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air

CNN  

CNN — Even some of the most ardent supporters of Covid-19 precautions are ditching mask mandates as health officials release new guidelines and hospitalizations plummet. Dr. Mark Ghaly, state Health and Human Services Agency secretary, said he’s “pleased with how the data has come down.” Los Angeles County is aligning itself with California’s new masking guidance by no longer requiring …

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11

LA Times  

New L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho talks with masked students after teaching part of a biology class during a February visit to Fremont High School in South L.A. Los Angeles County health officials on Monday said they will align with the state’s move to end indoor school masking requirements after March 11, giving officials in the county’s 80 schools districts …

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week
2 years, 9 months ago

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week

CNN  

CNN — New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Counties and cities that have a higher rate of Covid-19 transmission have the “flexibility” to keep the mask requirement in schools, Hochul said, and parents and guardians may still send their children to school in masks. “If we see no unforeseen spikes …

Mandatory mask rules to be eased in Victoria ahead of weekend
2 years, 10 months ago

Mandatory mask rules to be eased in Victoria ahead of weekend

ABC  

The Victorian government has announced people will be able to remove their masks in most indoor settings this weekend. Key points: Masks will only be required in some settings including public transport, hospitals and primary schools from midnight Friday The recommendation for people to work or study from home is being removed The health minister has extended the deadline for …

US covid restrictions: Boston and Hawaii join states and major cities lifting requirements
2 years, 10 months ago

US covid restrictions: Boston and Hawaii join states and major cities lifting requirements

CNN  

CNN — As the number of new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations slowly falls, cities and states are loosening vaccine and mask requirements. “As of today, our public health data show that Boston is officially below the 3 critical thresholds for heightened Covid protections, so we are lifting the proof of vaccination requirement,” Wu said in a tweet. Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, …

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate

Associated Press  

Gavin Newsom delayed a closely watched decision on lifting California’s school mask mandate Monday, even as other Democratic governors around the country have dropped them in recent weeks. But the teachers’ stance was made clear minutes after Ghaly finished speaking, when the powerful California Teachers Association issued a statement praising the “cautious approach to masking.” “We know that masking, strong …

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends
2 years, 10 months ago

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends

CNN  

CNN — Just one day before California is set to relax a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated people in indoor public spaces, the state’s top health official announced that masks will still be required in schools. There will be no change to the school requirement, Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced at a press conference Monday. …

From New York to Nevada, how US is bidding farewell to COVID-19 restrictions
2 years, 10 months ago

From New York to Nevada, how US is bidding farewell to COVID-19 restrictions

Firstpost  

Seeing a drop in coronavirus infections and hospitalisations, several states, including Nevada, New York and Illinois have ended mask mandates for indoor settings Coronavirus restrictions are slowly being phased out of the United States of America. With the Omicron wave of COVID-19 subsiding, several US states, including Nevada, New York and Illinois have ended mask mandates this week for indoor …

COVID conflict: Democratic governors skip ahead of Biden and CDC on easing mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

COVID conflict: Democratic governors skip ahead of Biden and CDC on easing mask mandates

LA Times  

Kathy Hochul listens as President Biden speaks during a meeting with the National Governors Assn. “Governors are picking up on a sense that voters simply won’t tolerate mask mandates any longer,” said Julia Lynch, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. The administration continues to recommend indoor masking in areas of high transmission, which, according to White House Press …

Here’s why mask mandates are falling across the US
2 years, 10 months ago

Here’s why mask mandates are falling across the US

Associated Press  

As the omicron wave of the coronavirus subsides, several U.S. states including Nevada, New York and Illinois ended mask mandates this week for indoor settings, while others lifted requirements at schools. Steve Sisolak said the requirement for masks in public places would be lifted “effective immediately.” State casino regulators quickly followed with an order eliminating the mandate for casinos “unless …

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement
2 years, 10 months ago

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement

Associated Press  

Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education on Thursday to stop requiring face coverings in schools. “A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” the Republican governor wrote in a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president. “If these trends are not reversed …

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon
2 years, 10 months ago

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon

Salon  

As U.S. omicron case numbers drop from their January peak, some states with in-person instruction have started to drop their mask mandates for schools. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, agreed that it's too early for schools to lift their mask mandates. Blumberg noted that …

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle
2 years, 10 months ago

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

Associated Press  

As some of the last statewide mask mandates in the U.S. near an end, decisions about whether students and teachers should continue to wear masks in school are shifting to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most combustible issues of the pandemic. If the decision had to be made right away, he said, his …

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools
2 years, 10 months ago

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools

Al Jazeera  

School board meeting have devolved into shouting matches and arrests over whether masks should be worn. “We can’t allow those individual passions to decide the debate.” The issue of masks in schools has been so contentious in much of the country that school board meetings have devolved into shouting matches and arrests, superintendents have seen protesters outside their homes, and …

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall
2 years, 10 months ago

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. Local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements and last week Los Angeles County’s health officials said they intend to keep theirs in place beyond the …

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. Phil Murphy called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids” and said individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks after …

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks
2 years, 10 months ago

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks

CNN  

CNN — A rush of moves by Democratic states laying out timelines to lift mask mandates is leaving a cautious White House behind and hiking pressure on top government health officials to codify an Omicron endgame. On Monday alone, three Democratic governors – in New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut – and the public health department in Oregon set timelines to …

California Will Lift Mask Mandate As Omicron Cases Fall
2 years, 10 months ago

California Will Lift Mask Mandate As Omicron Cases Fall

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. Local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements and last week Los Angeles County’s health officials said they intend to keep theirs in …

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March
2 years, 10 months ago

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March

NPR  

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March New Jersey's governor is calling for a return to "normal" as the state's COVID cases start to fall. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: New Jersey will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, starting the second week of March. And just to give you a …

Judge rules against VA governor's opt-out school mask order
2 years, 10 months ago

Judge rules against VA governor's opt-out school mask order

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Arlington Circuit Court Judge Louise DiMatteo ruled in favor …

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate

Al Jazeera  

The mandate had been issued by governor after Kathy Hochul declared state of emergency amid Omicron spread. A New York state judge has struck down a mandate that required the wearing of masks in public places as a COVID-19 precaution, ruling the governor overstepped her authority in imposing the restriction. In the ruling on Monday, Judge Thomas Rademaker of New …

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge
2 years, 11 months ago

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge

Associated Press  

Mask requirements are returning in some school districts that had dropped them. The virus, León said, continues “to be a brutal, relentless and ruthless virus that rears its ugly head at inopportune times.” Long after the widespread closures in the pandemic’s early days, school and elected leaders say they are using the lessons and tools of the past two years …

D.C. brings back indoor mask mandate amid surging infections
3 years ago

D.C. brings back indoor mask mandate amid surging infections

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital is reinstating its indoor mask mandate as the region and country grapple with a fresh surge in COVID-19 infections. Bowser lifted the mask mandate in late November, a move that drew some public criticism that she was moving ahead of the science and easing restrictions at a time when infection numbers still listed the region …

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools
3 years ago

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — An appeals court on Wednesday halted a federal judge’s order that had stopped Texas from enforcing its ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools, allowing the prohibition to remain in effect. In granting the stay, the appeals court said that Paxton would likely win in his appeal, the students represented by Disability Rights Texas likely do not …

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates
3 years, 1 month ago

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The last three school districts …

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools
3 years, 1 month ago

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A …

How long will Covid-19 masking rules last?
3 years, 1 month ago

How long will Covid-19 masking rules last?

CNN  

CNN — A federal court judge’s decision to strike down Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on school mask rules for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act could reverberate around the country and make new children eligible for the requirements. Atlanta’s mayor declared the city a “green zone” and said dropping Covid-19 cases allowed her to follow the science and lift …

Wolf expects to let schools set masking rules in January
3 years, 1 month ago

Wolf expects to let schools set masking rules in January

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania school districts will be allowed to modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday, saying it is “time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting.” The Democratic governor said that, on Jan. 17, he expects to turn over decisions about masking to local school …

Florida Board of Education votes to sanction 8 school districts with mask mandates with no opt-out
3 years, 2 months ago

Florida Board of Education votes to sanction 8 school districts with mask mandates with no opt-out

CNN  

CNN — The Florida Board of Education on Thursday voted to sanction eight school districts that have instituted Covid-19 mask mandates without giving parents the ability to opt their students out. Additionally, the Department of Health had a “clear inability” to complete contact tracing, case investigations and timely notifications to impacted families, she said, which had “a direct impact of …

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools

LA Times  

Downtown Sutter Creek in Amador County, where a parent assaulted a teacher because of a COVID-19 mask mandate in schools, according to school officials. In the second full academic year of the pandemic, such behavior has reared its head on school campuses across the U.S. Demonstrators opposed to masking and mandatory vaccination for students gather outside the Los Angeles Unified …

SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say
3 years, 3 months ago

SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the South Carolina Supreme Court mulls the legality of a state rule that effectively bans masks in most schools, health care workers and educators are renewing calls for state lawmakers to repeal the provision altogether. Pediatricians and school nurses joined state education groups at a news conference Tuesday to warn that lawmakers’ inaction will only continue …

Schools get the brunt of latest COVID wave in South Carolina
3 years, 3 months ago

Schools get the brunt of latest COVID wave in South Carolina

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the past few weeks, South Carolina has set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations and new cases have approached peak levels of last winter. Henry McMaster has maintained that parents alone should decide if children wear masks in schools, even as the state’s new cases soared from 150 a day on average to more than 5,000. The Republican-dominated …

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit
3 years, 3 months ago

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit

Associated Press  

South Carolina officials who have been sued over a law banning school districts from issuing face mask mandates say that they should be removed from pending litigation. In papers filed last week, attorneys for McMaster — a Republican who has said repeatedly that parents alone should decide if children wear masks in schools — argued that the ACLU and its …

Court: DeSantis ban on school mask mandates back in force
3 years, 3 months ago

Court: DeSantis ban on school mask mandates back in force

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw said in a tweet that the appeals court decision means “the rule requiring ALL Florida school districts to protect parents’ rights to make choices about masking kids is BACK in effect!” The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it has begun a new grant …

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal
3 years, 3 months ago

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A …

Judge: Florida can’t enforce ban on school mask mandates
3 years, 3 months ago

Judge: Florida can’t enforce ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that the state cannot enforce a ban on public schools mandating the use of masks to guard against the coronavirus, while an appeals court sorts out whether the ban is ultimately legal. Ron DeSantis and state education officials exceeded their authority by imposing the blanket ban through executive order and tagging …

Florida school mask debate headed for appeals court battle
3 years, 3 months ago

Florida school mask debate headed for appeals court battle

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The battle over mask requirements to guard against coronavirus in Florida schools headed for a new legal phase Friday following an appeal by Republican Gov. Jacob Oliva, public schools chancellor at the state Department of Education, said in a notice Thursday to local superintendents that “enforcement must cease if the stay is lifted.” Under the DeSantis …

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