MARYLAND, USA — As Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation on Wednesday making masks optional inside Virginia public schools, Maryland school leaders stood by the statewide mandate as other officials called for it to be dropped.
The Maryland State Board of Education has control over the mandate, which requires all students and staff to wear a personal protective mask when inside a public school.
After being contacted by WUSA9, the board said on Wednesday that it would review COVID-19 regulations and metrics during its meeting next Tuesday.
“The Maryland State Board of Education is watching with optimism as COVID-19 metrics improve in the State in order to provide safe in-person instruction for our children and staff with minimal disruptions,” said State Board President Clarence C. Crawford. “In fact, the State Board issued the current not-to-exceed 180-day face-covering emergency regulation with off-ramps during the omicron surge, in anticipation of an improving environment in which face coverings would no longer be needed as we learn to live with the virus.”
Earlier this month, Governor Larry Hogan called for the board to drop the statewide school mandate while pointing to improving metrics in Maryland.
Maryland Department of Health data showed under 500 new cases were reported on Wednesday while hospitalizations continued to decline following the omicron spike earlier in the winter.
"Maryland also continues to be one of the most vaccinated states, including vaccinating school-age children at a rate above the national average," Hogan wrote to the board. "In light of dramatic improvements to our health metrics and the widespread availability of vaccines, I am calling on you to take action to rescind this policy."
The board has approved the following "off-ramps" that would allow school districts to rescind mask mandates:
- At least 80% of the county population is fully vaccinated
- At least 80% of school staff and students are fully vaccinated
- The county has sustained 14 consecutive days of moderate or low transmission rate of COVID-19 cases
As of Wednesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed 84.7% of the Montgomery County population was fully vaccinated. However, a Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson told WUSA9 that there were no current plans to drop the mandate.
The Act Now Coalition, a non-profit that tracks COVID-19 data, showed Prince George's County with a 71.7% vaccination rate.
Despite the progress fighting the omicron surge, Prince George's County Board of Education member Belinda Queen told WUSA9 that she expected the mask mandate in the county to remain in place for at least another month.
"We want to make sure that we’re being very safe and we’re not going to cost so many lives," she said. "Spring is coming. We have plenty of time if we wait another month. April will be here. The sun will be shining and I’m sure mask mandates will get lifted.”
Queen noted that many parents in her district continue to raise concerns about possibly getting sick with the deadly virus. By requiring masks, she said the whole community could be protected.
"Once [children] carry it, they’re taking it back to their homes and their parents and grandparents, and then it gets back out," Queen said. "Most people are still a little fearful and we’d rather wait another month or two to be very sure that things are going to be safe instead of jumping into it just because Virginia or someone else is doing it.”
The Maryland State Education Association echoed the support for mask mandates on Wednesday and said keeping classrooms safe could only help staffing shortages being seen around the state.
"Health is still our top priority and it’s met also with the priority of keeping students in-person," said President Cheryl Bost.
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