VA Governor Signs Bill Making Masks Optional For Students By March 1

RICHMOND, VA — Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday afternoon at the State Capitol in Richmond that provides a parental opt-out from school mask mandates in school districts, after the legislation cleared both the Virginia Senate and House over the last week.

Youngkin added an emergency clause to the bill, setting March 1 as the effective date that all school districts in the state must comply with the law. Most bills, after they are signed by the governor, have a July 1 effective date.

The modified version of the bill passed the House of Delegates earlier Wednesday after clearing the Senate on Tuesday night. A majority vote in the state Senate and House was required to approve the governor's emergency clause.

School districts will still be allowed to require teachers and staff to wear masks inside schools.

At the signing ceremony on the steps of the Capitol, Youngkin said children have suffered learning and relationship losses from mask mandates in Virginia's public schools. He said it is time to give parents the right to make the decision on whether their children will wear masks in schools.

“Since day one, we have worked to empower Virginia parents who want to have a voice in the upbringing and education of their children," Youngkin said in a statement. "This is a defining moment and decisive victory for parents and kids across the Commonwealth. We are reaffirming that parents matter by signing SB739, effectively giving parents the ability to opt-out of school mask mandates.”

Youngkin's wife Suzanne, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares, together with Cabinet officials and a large group of young people, joined the governor for the signing of the bill.

The underlying bill, SB 739, was approved in the Senate last week with support from all Republicans and three Democrats. On Monday, the House passed the legislation 52-48 in a party-line vote, with the chamber's Democrats voting against the bill.

The bill aligns with an order — Executive Order No. 2 — signed by Youngkin shortly after being sworn into office on Jan. 15. The order stated that parents of any child enrolled in an elementary or secondary school may elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program.

The bill requires in-person instruction aside from 10 unscheduled virtual days. It includes an amendment for students to opt out of wearing a mask at school. That amendment, proposed by Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax), was accepted by the Senate with a 29-9 vote. The Senate's final vote on the bill last week was 21-17.

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