MANHEIM, Pa. — Governor Tom Wolf announced Nov. 8 the decision to require masks in schools will return to individual school districts, beginning Jan. 17, 2022.
The administration had previously allowed school districts to decide whether to require masks before changing course in September and requiring masks in all schools.
The move comes after administration officials said the COVID situation had improved since September. More than 70 percent of adult Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated, and last week the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children as young as 5 years old.
Gov. Wolf said in a statement,
“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus is now a part of our daily lives, but with the knowledge we’ve gained over the past 20 months and critical tools like the vaccine at our disposal, we must take the next step forward in our recovery.”
The decision drew rare praise from Republican state lawmakers, who have often disagreed with the governor on pandemic mitigation measures.
“I think this was a very positive move today and it gives hope to all of those students in school and those parents wearing a mask that there is a date certain that they won’t need to be doing that any longer,” said Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland).
It’s unclear how the announcement will affect two lawsuits asserting the Wolf administration didn’t have the legal right to impose the mask mandate in schools. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court heard arguments but hasn’t yet released any rulings on the suits, whose plaintiffs include Pa. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Centre).
The mask issue has stirred intense controversy at many school districts since last spring.
Lancaster County’s Manheim Central School District was among the districts that voted last summer to make masks optional. Some parents who supported that decision expressed hope the school board would again vote to remove the mandate.
“I feel happy because of our constitutional rights, because I believe parents should decide if their kids wear the masks in school or not,” said Walter Redcay, a parent of two children in the district.
As no COVID vaccine is yet approved for children younger than 5, masks will remain mandatory in early learning programs and daycares.