Fauquier County Public Schools will not require masks for students, staff members or visitors in any circumstances, according to a document attached to the agenda for Monday evening’s school board meeting. The fall semester begins Wednesday, with five days of in-person instruction per week offered for all students.
The document “strongly recommends” that students under 12 years old wear masks in school buildings and buses and “recommends” that all others wear masks in buildings and buses.
The decision not to require masks comes despite new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommends that everyone in school buildings and buses wear masks to mitigate the spread of the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.
In guidance updated last week, the CDC now recommends “universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status,” among other mitigation measures.
Fauquier County School Board member Duke Bland (Marshall District) said that he is the “lone exception” among board members in the decision to make face coverings optional. “I believe masks should be required,” he said.
The other four school board members did not respond to a request for comment.
At a press conference last week, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) implied that school divisions may be legally required to implement universal mask mandate, citing a state law passed earlier this year that directs school divisions to implement “any currently applicable mitigation strategies” recommended by the CDC “to the maximum extent practicable.” (The same law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, also requires all school divisions to offer five days of in-person instruction per week to all students.)
But in response to reporters’ questions, Northam refused to say last week how – or if – the state government would enforce Northam’s interpretation of the law if school divisions opted not to require masks, a path many rural localities have already taken. No state agency has so far issued a rule explicitly requiring school divisions to adopt a policy requiring masks.
The governor’s office did not respond to an inquiry from the Fauquier Times sent this weekend.
The Fauquier school division has already disregarded a state directive regarding masks this summer – without any apparent penalty.
On June 30, amid Fauquier’s Summer Academy summer-school program, the Fauquier school division announced it was dropping its mask requirement.
The next day, July 1, the state health commissioner announced a public health order requiring all “all individuals aged 5 and older to wear masks when indoors at public and private K-12 schools” through July 25. (The order contained many exceptions to the rule.)
The school division ignored the order.
“We are not asking the school division to revise the guidance they released earlier this week,” said School Board Member Stephanie Litter-Reber (Lee District) at the time, calling the public health order “completely unenforceable.”
At least one local academic institution will require masks when classes resume.
Lord Fairfax Community College, a public institution based in Middletown with campuses in Warrenton, Vint Hill and Luray, now requires all students and staff members to wear masks in its buildings. The policy began Monday in accordance with a blanket requirement issued by the Virginia Community College System. “People who are alone in their office/workspace can take them off,” said a college spokesperson.
Some private primary and secondary schools have yet to decide.
St. James’ Episcopal School in Warrenton had not yet determined its mask policy as of Monday; classes begin Aug. 18.
Wakefield School in The Plains begins classes Aug. 25 and has not implemented a mask policy. “Wakefield is currently monitoring VDH's recommendations for the coming school year. Our focus will be to open the school in a safe and healthy environment like we did last year,” a statement from the school said Monday.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Warrenton will not require masks for students or staff members when the fall semester begins, a school representative said Monday.
Representatives of Highland School, in Warrenton, and Covenant Christian Academy, in Vint Hill, did not immediately respond Monday to inquiries about mask policies.
"all" - Google News
August 10, 2021 at 01:33AM
https://ift.tt/3fKB1i4
Masks to be optional for all in Fauquier schools - Fauquier Times
"all" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2vcMBhz
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Masks to be optional for all in Fauquier schools - Fauquier Times"
Post a Comment