Parents have advised Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) that children may be required to wear masks indoors during the 2022-23 school year until CDC COVID-19 community rates are high. I have been listening to recent communications that warn of

However, the memo notes that parents and legal guardians have rights under Virginia law and parents can choose whether to send their child to school masked.

“The FCPS requires all students to wear face coverings indoors (except when actively eating or drinking) on ​​school premises (including buildings, school buses, and other school-provided vehicles). there is. If Fairfax County CDC COVID-19 community levels are high, “ I read your email. “Fairfax County’s current level is ModerateVirginia law allows parents/legal guardians to choose not to have their child wear a face covering on school grounds.”

“Consistent with Virginia law, parents/legal guardians of children enrolled in FCPS schools must ensure that such children do not wear face coverings while on school premises (including FCPS buildings). “The parent/legal guardian conducting such an election is not required to provide reasons or proof of the child’s health or educational status, and the student may, as a result of this election, You will not suffer the adverse consequences of

Virginia mom condemns sons’ suspension for not wearing masks: ‘Punished for political reasons’

The Fairfax County Parents Association called the response “baffling.” Others suggested that school districts are trying to find a reason to extend mask mandates.

Rory Cooper, managing director of Purple Struts and father of three, also claimed Musk’s memo was inconsistent.

Parents rally as Fairfax School Board holds controversial vote to change sex education classes

FCPS responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, saying, “Parents/Families can opt out of mask mandates. Nothing has changed since last school year.”

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, a mother of three, accused the FCPS of being politically active after being suspended earlier this year for not wearing her sons’ clothes. face mask to school and violating the dress code. They were one of 24 FCPS students suspended on Jan. 25 for not wearing masks. The mother explained at the time that the masks gave her sons headaches and that “they didn’t like wearing them.”

Fairfax County school buses park at a depot in Lawton, Virginia, USA, July 22, 2020, the day after the county announced the start of the school year all online.
(Reuters/Kevin Lamarck)

Fairfax parents react to board vote on penalties for student ‘misunderstandings’: ‘force them to speak up’

She reopened her charges against the school district following Monday’s memo.

“It’s unconscionable that members of the Fairfax County Board of Education don’t seem to understand that Virginia law applies to the entire state of Virginia, even Fairfax County,” Lundquist Arora told Fox News. told Digital. “I don’t think it should be surprising. It violated Executive Order 2 and SB739.”

The mother emphasized the timing of the FCPS mask requirements and corresponding emails.

“The Fairfax County Circuit Court dismissed my lawsuit against the school district for illegal suspension because the mask mandate was no longer in force,” she continued. refused my request to expunge the record of the suspension, which is now a blemish on their records.FCPS board members issued a new mask proxy on March 3 (details August 2022). described in FCPS email sent on May 15, 2022.

Parents and community members attend a Loudoun County Board of Education meeting just 40 minutes from Fairfax.
(REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

Fox News medical contributor Nicole Saphier, Ph.D., listened to FCPS guidance and noted that mandatory mask wearing in schools across the country has led to physical and mental health issues. She suggested a path forward that she said made the most scientific sense.

“What we do know is that wearing a mask can affect us physically and emotionally,” Saphier told Fox Digital. We need to move towards and stop enforcing universal mandates, more at-risk staff and children and anyone who really wants to be allowed to wear a face mask, but no one is forced to You shouldn’t. Another stupid policy that kids are dealing with. College students need a booster to get back in the fall. There is no place for universal mandates, vaccines and masks at this point in the pandemic.

Virginia Mavens’ Elizabeth McCauley similarly told Fox News Digital, “The public school system in Fairfax County is outdated and out of touch, and parents sent out a frankly anti-science email Monday. I couldn’t believe I sent it to my students.” “The use of the term ‘required’ in the FCPS statement is directly in line with Virginia Governor Youngkin’s First Day in Office Executive Order No. 2, which allows parents to opt out of student mask requirements in Virginia schools. Violation. Parents remain discouraged, angry and confused by this scare trade and charade. ”

McCauley noted that the notice to parents came after the CDC released its relaxed COVID-19 guidelines. He also removed some specific recommendations for schools, such as a “test to stay” rule requiring students exposed to the virus to remain negative to stay in school.

“So why would FCPS bring up the idea of ​​masking healthy students in all areas of FCPS schools, rather than stating it as ‘mandatory’?” asked Macquarie.

Close-up of the entrance sign for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sign is located on the Emory University campus near 1700 blocks of Clifton Road in Atlanta, Georgia. vertical configuration.
(iStock)

“The CDC is starting to move toward risk-based recommendations, but hasn’t spoken out when mask and vaccine mandates are still in place,” Saphier said.

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Children’s book author and homeschooling mother of five, Bethany Mandel echoes many of the concerns of her fellow parents.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” she told Fox News Digital. The difference for the kids of Virginia and their families is that they have a governor who stands up for common sense and there is no reason in the fall to bring the kids back in 2022 We’ve impacted 4th graders with cover-up, unnecessary and ineffective mitigation policies, and it’s time for parents and lawmakers to stand up for their children, as Governor Youngkin of Virginia did.”

Fairfax has been seen as the starting point of many battles between parents and schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.