Mask Mandate To End At Prince William County Schools On Tuesday

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Masks will be optional for all students at Prince William County Schools beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Masks will still be required for teachers and staff members while the region is in high or substantial levels of community transmission.

Students will still be required to wear masks on buses, in accordance with federal guidelines. Visitors at schools will be encouraged to wear masks, but it will not be required.

Prince William County was one of seven school district that was granted a temporary injunction earlier this month that allowed them to temporarily keep mask mandates in place. The legal action was filed in response to an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin that intended to make masks optional in January.

This month, Virginia legislators passed SB 739, a law that made masks optional in public schools across the state. The bill was signed into law by the governor this week.

"Despite our individual personal beliefs, be it for or against masking, as state and federal laws and guidance evolve, we must evolve with them, and we are obligated to adhere to them," Prince William County Schools superintendent LaTanya McDade said in a statement on Friday. "We recognize that these changes are welcomed by some, and cause uncertainty for others."

COVID cases are down from the record high levels of January, at the peak of the omicron wave. However, Prince William County, along with the rest of Virginia, is still experiencing high levels of community transmission, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

"As we move forward in this changing and difficult period, I call on our community to work together to move toward greater understanding and cooperation for the benefit of all children," McDade said.

In a letter to community members, McDade referenced National Kindness Week and the upcoming Presidents Day holiday, stressing unity within the community.

"As this is Kindness Week and Monday is Presidents Day, we can all draw upon the words credited to Abraham Lincoln, 'Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out.'"

Have a story idea? Email me at liam.griffin@patch.com with tips, questions, comments, or concerns.