PA Bill To Exempt Kids From School Mask Mandates Advances

HARRISBURG, PA — Attempting to thwart Gov. Tom Wolf's statewide school mask mandate, Senate Republicans have advanced legislation that would permit parents to opt out of any face covering edict. The bill covers any masking order issued by the state Department of Health, a local health department or a school board.

The state Education Committee approved the measure Tuesday along party lines, but it's a long way from becoming law. The full Senate and House would have to pass the bill, then Wolf would have to sign the legislation, an unlikely prospect.

To combat an alarming rise in coronavirus cases, Wolf announced in August that the state would require students and staff in all schools to wear masks to begin the 2021-22. The move came a week after Republican leaders in the legislature declined the governor's request to pass a mask mandate.

Authority for the state's mask order comes from the state's Disease and Prevention Control law, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in August, adding "We know there will be objections to this action."

The opt out measure was introduced despite the fact that COVID-19 cases among school age children are skyrocketing in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health.

As of Tuesday, the number of COVID-19 cases among school-aged children between 5-18 years old was 12.2 times greater this year than in 2020. Between Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, 2020, there were a total of 650 COVID-19 cases in school-aged kids compared to 7,928 cases in the same age group
during the same week in 2021.

The opt out bill, introduced by senators Doug Mastriano of Franklin County and Judy Ward of Blair County, would require all school districts to adhere to a mask exemption form. The document would clearly state that the student won't be isolated, separated from classmates or prohibited from participating in school activities.

Parents or guardians would not have to provide a reason for opting out.

See the entire bill here.

RELATED:

• Masks Will Be Required In All PA Schools, Gov. Wolf Says
• Mask Mandate Loophole Allowing PA Students To Ditch Masks
• PA Republicans Reject Gov. Wolf's Call For Mask Mandate

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