Youngkin ’s Executive (Dis)order on School Masking

Neal McCluskeyEssentially the second major thing that Glenn Youngkin did when he took over Virginia ’s governorship was issue an executive order – number twoon the list– requiring that parents be able to choose whether or not their children wear masks in school to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The guiding principle was clear – parents should decide whether or not their children wear masks – but the result has been confusion and upheaval. Which is to be ex pected when a central authority – heck, one person – makes a decision for millions of diverse people and hundreds of communities.There was little question Youngkin ’s order would upset a lot of Virginians. While those who oppose mask mandates seem to get more attention than those in favor, the latter is almost certainly more numerous.There does not appear to be any Virginia polling since Omicron became the dominant COVID-19 variant, but a  late‐​August Monmouth University poll found that67 percent of Virginia parents favored a  state requirement“that students, teachers, and staff…wear face masks.” 30 percent disapproved. Given the Omicrontidal wave, approval of masking mandates has most likely risen since that survey was taken. But even if it has not, a  large share of parents almost certainly still wants mandates. Whipsawing from the state requiring school masking to banning school mask mandates was bound to upset a lot of parents. And it has.Several school districts, in particular larger...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs