Gov. Wolf lays out his plan to keep PA schools in-person amid delta variant surge

NORRISTOWN, PA — As the 2021-22 school year kicked off this week in many parts of the state, Gov. Tom Wolf appeared in Montgomery County Wednesday to address the controversial mask mandate in classrooms and the COVID-19 mitigation efforts the state is undertaking to keep children in school.

The appearance at Hancock Elementary in Norristown came as students and teachers adjust to the new reality of learning under the burden of the more contagious delta variant.

“Our goal this year is not just to start the year with kids in school, but to keep them in school all year long," Gov. Wolf said. "Our kids want to see their friends again, they want to play sports and participate in the activities that help them build skills and connect to their peers."

>>PA School Mask Mandate Begins: What You Need To Know

The spread of the delta variant in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and the greater threat it poses to children than other variants, has led to a slew of precautions heading into the new school year. Statewide, the positivity rate sits at 8.2 percent, with nearly all counties in the CDC's "high" or "substantial" community transmission categories.

Norristown was one of the strictest school districts on mitigation efforts in the region in 2020-21 when the pandemic hit, keeping their doors shut to all in-person learning for months after other districts experimented with brief reopenings. The district was one of the small number across Pennsylvania which had submitted a health and safety plan mandating mask use ahead of the 2021-22 school year. After originally planning to leave the decision to require masking to the local level, the particularly low number of districts that voluntarily instituted such a policy led Wolf to issue the mandate.

Wolf said Wednesday that despite opposition in many parts of the state, he did not anticipate school districts not complying with the mandate to be a significant issue. Republicans have been adamant that control should remain at the local level.

Wolf was joined in Norristown by his Education Secretary Noe Ortega, as well as teachers union leaders: National Education Association President Becky Pringle and Pennsylvania Education Association President Rich Askey. Teacher unions have been staunch advocates of the mandate.

"NEA has said from the beginning of this pandemic that everyone needs to follow the science, and evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines, combined with masking and other mitigation strategies, are the most powerful weapon we have against the pandemic," Pringle said.

Officials pointed toward other initiatives the state was undertaking to control the virus, including pumping millions into programs offering free testing and vaccines in schools. The state is partnering with a private healthcare company, Concentric by Ginkgo Bioworks, on an $87 million contract to provide the testing through next spring. Vaccine providers, meanwhile, were ordered to coordinate directly with K-12 school districts and higher education institutions to offer clinics.

"Being smart about safety is how we ensure that we can start this school year in person, continue in person, and finish in person," Askey added.