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Teachers and students in Prince William County are adjusting to another new normal this week, with students having the option to attend classes without wearing a mask for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
鈥淢ost of my students have still been wearing masks, but a few are choosing not to,鈥� one Freedom High School teacher told InsideNoVa.
The teacher, who asked not to be identified, said that on Feb. 17, when principals were first instructed to let masked and unmasked students into school buildings without any additional mitigation or consequences, he briefly mentioned the new rules to each of his classes.
鈥淚 told them that we should be respectful of everyone鈥檚 choice. Personally, I鈥檓 mostly concerned about more kids missing school with positives than would have [otherwise], but so far it hasn鈥檛 been an issue.鈥�
The teacher said the vast majority of students in his class and the halls were still wearing masks.
According to data posted by the county school division, cases among students and staff have continued to fall dramatically as transmission in the region has plummeted. School Board Chair Babur Lateef said geography probably would dictate the number of students still wearing masks.
鈥淢y guess is that what you鈥檒l see is in the eastern part of the county, places like Woodbridge, you鈥檒l have around 85%, 90% of kids still masking, and then as you get farther west that number will fall,鈥� Lateef told InsideNoVa.
Meanwhile, the group of parents who had been fighting to get Prince William schools to drop its mask mandate celebrated online with pictures of their students proudly maskless in classrooms and hallways.
鈥淢y son was scared to take mask off today but with encouragement, he actually helped others do so. I鈥檓 so proud of him,鈥� one parent wrote on Facebook.
The school system made its mask-optional policy official in a Friday afternoon announcement from Superintendent LaTanya McDade. The announcement that masks will no longer be mandatory for students in school buildings starting Tuesday (after the President鈥檚 Day holiday) brought the school system into compliance with the state law signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week.
Schools had effectively been operating under a new policy since Feb. 17, when central office administrators directed principals to welcome all students into classrooms without additional mitigation layers, whether those students were masked or not.
Staffers must still wear masks
County employees, including teachers, are still required to wear masks 鈥渋n times of high and substantial community transmission,鈥� which Prince William remains in, under Virginia Infectious Disease standards approved by the Virginia Department of Labor. A move is underway to change those standards, however.
Masks are also still required on school buses under federal law.
In January, Prince William had joined six other school divisions in a lawsuit against an executive order signed by Youngkin on his first day in office that made masking optional. An Arlington judge ruled in favor of the school divisions earlier this month, granting an injunction against enforcement of the order, but the legislature鈥檚 approval of the bill Youngkin signed made that case moot.
鈥淎s parents, guardians and educators, we want nothing more than to protect the health and safety of our children, and ourselves, in this time of unprecedented disruption,鈥� McDade wrote in her message to the families and staff Friday. 鈥淒espite 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.鈥�
New quarantine policy implemented
McDade also closed the door on the hopes of some families who might want to remove their students from in-person learning and place them in the division鈥檚 virtual learning program. She said staffing and logistical considerations wouldn鈥檛 allow for such moves.
The division鈥檚 quarantine policy also changed slightly this week. A student or staff member who has a confirmed COVID-19 case must follow the division鈥檚 isolation procedure and stay home. But as long as cases remain below 10% of a school鈥檚 population, the division won鈥檛 conduct any contact tracing or quarantine anyone else. If a building cracks that 10% threshold, contact tracing and quarantine for exposures will be implemented.
Cases and exposures reached new highs after an extended winter break as the Omicron variant spread around the country, but have fallen quickly since mid-January.
鈥淎s we move forward in this changing and difficult period, I call on our community to work together to move forward toward greater understanding and cooperation for the benefit of all children,鈥� McDade wrote Friday.
