Bill to end Virginia school mask mandates heads to governor’s desk

A Virginia bill that would prohibit schools from enforcing mask mandates on students passed the House of Delegates and will be sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his signature.

Youngkin is expected to sign the legislation.

Although the legislation would not prevent schools from creating mask policies, it would prohibit schools from imposing mandates on students whose parents choose to opt them out of the mask rules. Any parent would be allowed to opt their children out of the rules and would not need to provide any explanation. The schools would be prohibited from using disciplinary or academic punishments as a means to force them into compliance with masking rules.

“What our children have had to endure over the last two years will impact them for years to come,” House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, said in a statement. “It’s time we end the insanity and let our kids be kids again. Virginia is behind the curve for states ending masking mandates and I’m proud of the legislature for getting this done quickly. Our kids can’t wait.”

The legislation also requires schools to be open for in-person education five days per week, which prevents pandemic-related school closures.

Senate Bill 739 was sponsored by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico. The original language introduced on the Senate floor did not include rules to prohibit mask mandates, but Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, offered an amendment to ban the mask mandates. Petersen has been one of the few Virginia Democrats who has consistently opposed harsh COVID-19 restrictions and garnered enough support for his amendment to get it through the Senate.

The bill narrowly passed the House 52-48 on Monday after passing the Senate 21-17 last week. In the House, lawmakers voted along party lines to approve the legislation, with Republicans in support and Democrats in opposition. In the Senate, a few Democratic senators joined with the Republican minority to pass the legislation, despite opposition from Democratic leadership.

“Parents in Southwest Virginia and across the Commonwealth should be making decisions about what’s best for their children,” House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, said in a statement. “That shouldn’t be controversial. Thanks to the hard work of this body, Virginia is once again a leader in protecting individual and parental rights. We’ve kept our promise, and now we’re working hard to address other issues impacting Virginia families.”

Democratic members in the House offered an amendment to remove the prohibition on mask mandates from the legislation and an amendment to delay the effectiveness of the prohibition to 2023. Both amendments failed along party-line votes.

The Center Square reached out to House Democratic leadership for comment, but did not get a response by the time of publication.