RICHMOND, Va. -The Virginia House of Delegates have passed a bill to make masks optional in schools on Monday.
The House passed Senate Bill 739 on a party-line vote, which will end mask mandates in every Virginia public K-12 school. The Virginia Senate voted 21-17 to make masks optional in schools during their session last week.
Now it heads to Governor Glenn Youngkin's desk, who has indicated he will add an emergency clause to have the bill go into effect immediately.
The General Assembly will now consider any recommendations later this week.
“Government overreaction to this pandemic has been devastating to our children,” said House Education Committee Chairman Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach. “As state after state rolls back mask mandates, too many Virginia students have been left behind. Our Commonwealth has reopened. It’s time to let our children breathe freely again.”
