Students in Prince William County, Virginia, will be able to choose whether to wear masks in class beginning next week.
In a letter to the community, Superintendent LaTanya McDade said masks will no longer be required for students effective Feb. 22.
The announcement comes days after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed SB739, which enables parents to choose whether to send their kids to school wearing masks. The law gives school systems until March 1 to comply.
Fairfax and Arlington Public Schools have announced plans to end their mask requirements March 1. Loudoun County announced hours after Youngkin signed the bill that it would lift its mask mandate Feb. 22. However, a ruling by Circuit Court Judge James Fisher immediately barred the county’s public school system from enforcing its mask mandate.
“Despite our individual personal beliefs, be it for or against masking, as state and federal laws and guidance evolve, we must evolve with them, and we are obligated to adhere to them,” McDade wrote. ” … we recognize that these changes are welcomed by some, and cause uncertainty for others. The health, safety and well-being of our students and staff, and the continuity of in-person instruction, remain our highest priorities.”
School employees are still required to wear masks under a law that mandates employees wear masks in times of high and substantial community transmission as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, McDade wrote.
Students and adults riding on school buses will still be required to wear masks while on the bus.
Moving forward, McDade wrote, the school system will only carry out contact tracing and quarantine if coronavirus cases impact 10% or more of a school or building population.
“PWCS will no longer quarantine students or staff if schools are below this 10% threshold,” McDade said.
Earlier this week, the county’s school board voted to end a requirement for unvaccinated teachers to undergo weekly testing.
Last month, School Board Chairman Babur Lateef said the school system needed to consider an “off ramp” for masking in schools.
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