NORFOLK, Va. - Delegate Jackie Glass (D-Norfolk) has issued a statement regarding her recent tweets on Gov. Youngkin's executive order rescinding mask mandates inside of schools.
Del. Glass' recent tweets on the upcoming change in mask policies in Virginia's public schools raised some concerns after she applauded the right to have a choice, according to a recent post on Del. Glass's Facebook.
Del. Glass' statement is in reference to the following tweets:
Our governor can't ban mask mandates. Our schools get to make that decision. He is making space for parents to have the right to choose.
— Jackie Hope Glass (@jackie4norfolk) January 16, 2022
👏 for pro-choice nature of the order. I look forward to more legislators following his lead in supporting right to choose legislation.
She says she is encouraging Youngkin's administration to "keep the same energy of choice and access with voting, reproductive and civil rights as they have with masks."
Glass released the following statement to provide clarity as a response to the concerns of her tweets:
"Regardless of the specifics of the Governor's executive order and its conflict with existing law and local school board guidelines, educators, parents, and students should always feel empowered to advocate and make choices for themselves. If an employee of a school district, scholar, or parent gets COVID, loses wages, or has undue stress because of a parent's choice to send their child to school unmasked against CDC guidelines, then they should be held accountable in court for vicarious liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress. No one should have to risk their life to provide or receive a public education. We need to center our children, educators, and staff while remaining conscious of the limits on our ability to control human behavior.
The bottom line is up to our local school boards (with parental involvement) to decide on their own mask guidance under the current law which our Governor cannot change with an executive order. However, if your local school board doesn't mandate mask wearing for your children, then it is best to protect them by wearing masks. I will continue to send my little citizens to school masked up and encourage others to do the same."
Local school districts have also responded to Gov. Youngkin's executive order rescinding mask mandates inside of schools. The executive order doesn't take effect until January 24, so the previous order requiring masks in schools remains in effect for this week.
