Youngkin threatens to force Arlington schools to comply with Pro-Covid executive orders

[Nevilledog]

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Tweet text:

Nick Iannelli
@NickWTOP
Exclusive: Governor Youngkin on Arlington school system saying it will require masks, despite Youngkin’s order stating that schools can’t do that. He threatened to use state resources to force schools to comply - but we still don’t know what that means exactly. @WTOP


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Arlington Public Schools
@APSVirginia
@APSVirginia will maintain our current mask requirement for students, staff and visitors. Masks 😷 required inside our facilities and on school buses. Full post ➡️ https://apsva.us/post/no-change-to-current-aps-mask-requirements-masks-required-inside-on-school-grounds-and-on-buses/…
12:15 PM · Jan 16, 2022

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. No Change to Current APS Mask Requirements - Masks Required Inside on School Grounds and on Buses

Last edited Sun Jan 16, 2022, 06:09 PM - Edit history (2)

Hat tip, WTOP, 5:15 a.m. or so.

No Change to Current APS Mask Requirements – Masks Required Inside on School Grounds and on Buses

Posted on January 15, 2022 at 5:22 pm.

Arlington 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. Universal mask use has proven effective in keeping COVID-19 transmission rates low in our schools and ensuring schools remain safe and open.

Arlington Public Schools implemented our mask requirement this school year prior to Governor Northam’s K-12 mask mandate, and we will continue to make decisions that prioritize the health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff, following the guidance of local and national health professionals.Current law in Virginia, per SB1303, says: school divisions need to “provide such in-person instruction in a manner in which it adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

The federal requirement from February 2, 2021, is still in place on all forms of public transportation. Anyone riding a school bus is therefore required to wear a mask when riding on our school buses to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Review current mask guidelines and other health and safety measures on our website.

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[PortTack]

2. That is just so cruel!! If I were a parent living in VA I'd have to move away

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. JUST IN: APS says masks still required for students, despite Youngkin's order

JUST IN: APS says masks still required for students, despite Youngkin’s order

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JUST IN: APS says masks still required for students, despite Youngkin's order
Students and parents in the middle of a tug-of-war between Arlington Public Schools and newly-inaugurated Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. One of the

SCHOOLS

JUST IN: APS says masks still required for students, despite Youngkin’s order

ARLnow.com January 15, 2022 at 7:25pm

(Updated at 7:40 p.m.) Students and parents in the middle of a tug-of-war between Arlington Public Schools and newly-inaugurated Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

One of the Republican’s first acts today (Saturday) after succeeding now-former Gov. Ralph Northam (D) was issuing eleven executive actions, including one that allows parents to “elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program.” ... The order is set to take effect next Monday, Jan. 24.

Youngkin’s order suggests that mask mandates have been ineffective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 in schools, citing incorrect mask usage and the use of low-quality cloth masks. It further suggests that schools instead focus on air filtration systems and other environmental mitigation measures.

Nonetheless APS, which has had a mask mandate for the entire school year, said tonight that the mandate is still in place on school grounds and on buses.

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[Duppers]

4. ...

Too many idiots in my neighborhood voted for him; the neighborhood is filled with retired military. All those tv's tuned to Fux on military bases seem to have done a great brainwashing job.

You cannot reason with them in the least unless you want to be considered anti-American. Seriously.

[bpj62]

5. Should be interesting

As a life long Virginian I warned people about Youngkin. It didn't help that McAuliffe ran a horrible campaign and allowed Youngkin to set the messaging as well as his fatal mistake of saying that parents shouldn't have a say in thier children's education. That snippet was run on a loop for the last 30 days of the campaign.
I was born and raised in Arlington and Youngkin is going after them because they are the most liberal school board in the state. I live in Fairfax and thay are also continuing the mask mandate so I am sure they are next up on Youngkins hit list.
Youngkin knows that his agenda is dead for two years because the legislature is split so we are going to see a ton of executive orders as well as a ton of law suits challenging those EO.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Alexandria school system says masks still required, despite new executive order

Alexandria school system says masks still required, despite new executive order

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Alexandria school system says masks still required, despite new executive order
In a release to parents and staff put out today (Sunday), Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) said everyone in Alexandria schools will still be required to wear

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Youngkin responds to Northern Va. school systems' announcement on mask requirements

Home » Virginia News » Youngkin responds to Northern…

Youngkin responds to Northern Va. school systems’ announcement on mask requirements

Ivy Lyons | [e-mail]

January 16, 2022, 2:23 PM

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“We wrote the order specifically to give all the school systems, basically, eight day to get ready — to listen to parents,” Youngkin said. “Over the course of this week, I hope they will listen to parents, because we will use every resource within the governor’s authority to explore what we can and will to do to ensure parents’ rights are protected.”

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WTOP’s Nick Ianelli and Zeke Hartner contributed to this report.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Jen Psaki, Del. Patrick Hope respond to Youngkin's announcements on mask requirements

Home » Virginia News » Youngkin, Psaki respond to…

Youngkin, Psaki respond to Northern Va. school systems’ announcements on mask requirements

Ivy Lyons | [e-mail]

January 16, 2022, 9:20 PM

Virginia’s freshly inaugurated governor, Glenn Youngkin, signed executive orders removing school masking requirements across the state on Saturday afternoon. Since that moment, Arlington and Alexandria school systems have joined Fairfax County Public Schools in reminding families that masking policies remain in place. ... Youngkin’s list of day one executive orders put the power to decide if students should wear a mask squarely into the hands of parents across the state.

“A child whose parent has elected that he or she is not subject to a mask mandate should not be required to wear a mask under any policy implemented by a teacher, school, school district, the Department of Education, or any other state authority,” the order said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in response to coverage from WTOP’s Nick Iannelli on Sunday, voiced her support for the move as an Arlington County parent — a title, she noted, newly minted governor Glenn Youngkin does not have. ... “Thank you to [Arlington Public Schools] for standing up for our kids, teachers and administrators and their safety in the midst of a transmissible variant,” Psaki wrote.

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Virginia Delegate Patrick Hope of Arlington County also responded to Gov. Youngkin’s statement in a discussion with WTOP. He said that the state’s governor has “no authority at all” to determine how mask mandates operate at individual school systems. ... “We are governed by the Virginia code,” Hope told WTOP. “And the Virginia code states very clearly that school districts should adhere by the CDC’s recommendations.”

Link to tweet

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WTOP’s Nick Ianelli and Zeke Hartner contributed to this report.