We Need Universal Masking in Our Classrooms

Upon being sworn in, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order upending universal masking in Virginia’s schools. In addition to providing numerous misleading statements, the executive order harms our school systems’ ability to keep our children, teachers, and other school representatives safe during a time when the spread of COVID-19 has reached unprecedented levels.

Universal masking in schools should not be a controversial item. As recently as September 2021, an overwhelming seven out of ten Virginians support universal masking in our schools, and that number could be higher now that COVID cases are soaring. There is no need for Governor Youngkin to issue an executive order that goes against the will of the majority of Virginians.

The executive order states that parents should have the choice in masking, but it fails to address the fact that for masking to work, everyone needs to wear one. As the CDC notes, “When you wear a mask, you protect others as well as yourself.” Masks prevent a person’s respiratory droplets from entering the environment, while also preventing someone from inhaling a droplet that could carry disease.

Masking is one of the easiest, best ways to prevent community spread within a school, and having some students opt out increases the risk for all. It removes one of the safety barriers that have been established to keep our schools open. A point to emphasize that this is not just to keep students healthy; it keeps educators healthy and prevents community spread, especially as Virginia’s hospitals are currently stretched thin and remain under a state of emergency.

Our school systems are also currently stretched dangerously thin. Recently, Loudoun County had 1,000 staff out sick one day, which is 10% of its total staff. If masks are removed, and more teachers or bus drivers begin to sicken, not only does that harm our overburdened medical systems but our school system will weaken and begin to fall apart. Above all, we want to keep our educational systems functioning. This is not the time to be removing a layer of protection in our school systems.

Current Virginia state law, Senate Bill 1303, mandates that school districts follow CDC guidelines to keep schools safely open to provide in-person learning. The CDC continues to recommend masking in schools as a way to keep our country’s schools safe. Governor Youngkin’s executive order goes against that law.

In addition to contradicting state law, Governor Youngkin’s executive order uses extraordinarily weak justification for its claim to eliminate universal masking in schools. It notes that, “As parents and educators have observed, many children wear masks incorrectly, providing little or no health benefit.” By that inane logic, if some wear a seatbelt incorrectly, we should remove all seatbelts from cars. The executive order fails to take into consideration that masks do provide health benefits in our schools, even if there are a few children whose mask slips down beneath the nose for a few minutes.

Additionally, the executive order claims that “The masks worn by children are often ineffective because they are made from cloth material, and they are often not clean, resulting in the collection of impurities, including bacteria and parasites.” This line of thinking follows incorrect information that has been shared on social media. That information has been disproven by global health scientists and infection preventionists, who noted that there is zero evidence that “face masks can increase the chance of developing pneumonia, or any other bacterial, fungal or viral infection in the lungs.”

This is not an executive order that takes into consideration the needs of our schools and our communities. Universal masking has helped keep our schools open, even as the latest variant, omicron, has sent COVID cases soaring. We need people to be staying safe and healthy, not increasing risk. At some point, experts will declare that masking is no longer needed, but that’s a decision that needs to come from our medical professionals and infectious disease experts, not politicians.

Many school districts are choosing to respect the will and desire of the community and keep universal mask mandates in their school systems. We urge Loudoun County Public School to follow suit with other Virginia public school systems and declare their support for universal masking. Keep our schools safe and open, for our kids, our teachers, our school representatives, and our communities.