RICHMOND, Va. — Legislation that would make masks optional in Virginia schools is one step closer to a possible passage after it was voted out of a House committee Friday. SB739, in which a parent "may elect for such child to not wear a mask while on school property" will now move to the floor of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.
The bill is expected to pass the House. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) pledged to sign the bill. He could use the option to put an emergency clause on the bill, which would make it effective immediately, possibly by the end of the month.
This comes after the bill passed a key hurdle on Wednesday with bipartisan support from Senate leaders by a vote of 21-17.
While the speedy passages may be a victory for the governor, some educators are raising a red flag.
On Friday educators from across the state went to Richmond to oppose the bill, including Fairfax Education Association President Kimberly Adams.
"The first reason that we’re opposed to it is it takes away the local control," Adams said. "If the pandemic sparks up again in a couple of months, we don’t have the power then to say masks are necessary."
"The other piece is it doesn’t really protect the people who need everyone around them to be masked, so it forces parents to make a decision if they’re going to have to pull their children out of school again," Adams said.
Adams, and other teachers who spoke during Friday's testimony portion of the bill, warn the bill's passage could lead to enough resignations to put the education system at a crisis level.
"I don't think this administration is prepared to attract, train, and retain the number of teachers once resignations come in. This is going to be at a crisis level," a science teacher from Waynesboro said to the House committee on Friday.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Siobahn Dunnavant (R-Henrico) said the decision on masks should lie solely with families.
"The school boards are empowered to make educated decisions for their school division and parents are empowered by the constitution to make decisions for their children,” Dunnavant said.
Youngkin said after the bill's passage in the Senate Wednesday that parents are now empowered to decide whether their children should wear a mask. He also tweeted that it's time to put kids first and get back to normal.