PA School Mask Mandates To End In January, Wolf Says

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that school districts can modify or eliminate mask mandates for K-12 students in January. The requirement has been in place since September.

Mask mandates will remain in effect for child care facilities and early learning programs.

“The school mask order has been critical in ensuring Pennsylvania’s children could safely learn and grow in an in-person classroom setting at the beginning of the school year,” Wolf said.

“During the announcement, my administration made clear that we would continue to reevaluate the status of the school mask mandate. Now, we are in a different place than we were in September, and it is time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting."

The lifting of the mandate comes as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for children ages 5 to 11 has begun in Pennsylvania. More than 414,000 doses of the vaccine, specifically designed
with a third of the medicine of the regular vaccine, has been distributed to providers across the state.

Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said Monday that the Wolf administration is confident that local school leaders will take whatever steps are necessary to maintain in-person education.

“While we continue to monitor data such as pediatric hospital capacity and case counts, we want to give local leaders plenty of time to prepare for the anticipated expiration of the order," she said. "We strongly encourage schools to follow CDC guidance and make decisions with the health of their educators and students in mind.

Beam issued the mask edict for students, staff and any visitors indoors at any school, child care facility or early leaning program regardless of vaccination status. School officials were warned that ignoring the order could result in criminal penalties and the loss of immunity in any civil lawsuits.

The move came after Wolf reversed his earlier decision to let individual districts decide whether to issue mask requirements. The mandate was issued after a spike in coronavirus cases in late summer attributed to the highly contagious delta variant, as well as the fact that few districts were requiring masks.

The mask requirement prompted vociferous objections from many parents, as well as two lawsuits currently making their way through the courts asserting the Wolf administration lacked the legal authority to issue the edict. Among the plaintiffs is the leader of the state Senate, President Pro Tempore Jake Corman of Centre County.

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