Even White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is weighing in.
There’s a storm brewing in some of Virginia’s more progressive districts over Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order eliminating mask mandates for children in public schools: Richmond, Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington have announced they will resist the order.
Arlington County said in a Saturday statement that its public schools will “continue to require all staff and students to wear masks inside on school grounds and on buses, as part of our layered approach to safety.”
@APSVirginia will maintain our current mask requirement for students, staff and visitors. Masks 😷 required inside our facilities and on school buses. Full post ➡️ https://t.co/VNWoSQKPeF
— Arlington Public Schools (@APSVirginia) January 15, 2022
“The fact that that tweet came out from Arlington County within minutes of my Executive Order, what that tells me, is they haven’t listened to parents yet,” Youngkin told reporters.
Jen Psaki commented on Twitter, not as the White House Press Secretary but as an “Arlington County Parent.”
Hi there. Arlington county parent here (don’t believe you are @GlennYoungkin but correct me if I am wrong). Thank you to @APSVirginia for standing up for our kids, teachers and administrators and their safety in the midst of a transmissible variant.
Hi there. Arlington county parent here (don’t believe you are @GlennYoungkin but correct me if I am wrong). Thank you to @APSVirginia for standing up for our kids, teachers and administrators and their safety in the midst of a transmissible variant. https://t.co/6UeNIYoZCU
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) January 17, 2022
Youngkin is sticking to his guns.
“In Virginia, it is clear under law that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions for their children’s upbringing, their education and their care. And so we are providing parents an opt-out,” Youngkin said. “We’re providing them the ability to make the right decision for their child with regard to their child’s well-being. … We are going to use all the authority that I have to consider all options to protect that right.”
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