BREAKING: Arlington Circuit Court upholds mask mandates in schools

An Arlington Circuit Court Judge today help held mask mandates in Virginia’s public schools despite Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 2 which allows parents to choose whether or not to send their child to school in a face mask.

Prince William County was one of seven school division’s across the state that sued Youngkin over his order. The Supreme Court of Virginia is set to take the case soon, however, it’s unclear when that could happen.

A law passed last year requires schools to provide in-person education five days a week, and adhere to CDC coronavirus mitigation recommendations. Since August, the federal agency suggests everyone wear facemasks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

This week, hundreds of parents packed the Prince William County School Board meeting to urge the division to implement mask choice, which would give parents the option to have their children wear face masks.

Public schools in Fauquier and Spotsylvania counties are two of multiple public schools jurisdictions that have made facemarks optional for students.

From Prince William County Public Schools:

The Schools Boards of Alexandria City, Arlington County, City of Richmond, Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Hampton City and Prince William County are pleased with the temporary injunction granted today by the Arlington Circuit Court.  The order allows schools to continue to protect the health and well-being of all students and staff. While the legal process on this matter continues, today’s ruling preserves the existing policies and practices in Virginia school divisions, which includes masking requirements.

This declaratory judgment action was brought by seven school boards: the School Boards of Alexandria City, Arlington County, City of Richmond, Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Hampton City and Prince William County. Together these school districts serve over 350,000 students in Virginia.

The lawsuit raises fundamental questions about the framework of public education in Virginia, as set out in the Virginia Constitution and by the General Assembly. At issue is whether locally-elected school boards have the exclusive authority and responsibility conferred upon them by Article VIII, § 7 of the Constitution of Virginia over supervision of the public schools in their respective communities, or whether an executive order can unilaterally override that constitutional authority.

Also at issue is whether a governor can, through executive order, and without legislative action by the Virginia General Assembly, reverse a lawfully-adopted statute. In this case, Senate Bill 1303, adopted with the goal of returning students to safe in-person instruction five days a week in March 2021, and still in legal effect, provides that local school boards should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health and safety guidelines to the maximum extent they deem practicable in their respective jurisdictions.

Prior to today’s decision, Virginia school boards were placed in a legally untenable position — faced with an executive order in conflict with the state constitution and state law. That conflict has also put the health and safety of our students and staff at risk, as the Omicron variant continues to affect Virginia localities. We are confident that the court will soon come to the right decision to resolve this pressing matter.

We look forward to a day in the not-too-distant future when universal mask-wearing is no longer needed as part of our layered health mitigation strategies in order to keep our schools open for in-person learning, but that day is not yet here. We would like to thank our community for their diligence and patience as we navigate these challenging times, keeping the safety and best interests of our students and staff at the forefront in our communities.