Virginia school districts acted quickly to remind their staffers and students about mask policies shortly after newly sworn-in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order to lift the mandate, prompting a response by the governor.
Richmond, Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington counties have all said their mask policies remain in effect following Youngkin’s executive order.
Arlington County said in a Saturday statement that its public schools will “continue to require all staff and students to wear masks inside on school grounds and on buses, as part of our layered approach to safety.” Youngkin slammed Arlington Public Schools over the response.
“The fact that that tweet came out from Arlington County within minutes of my Executive Order, what that tells me, is they haven’t listened to parents yet,” Youngkin told reporters Sunday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki applauded Arlington Public Schools for the move.”Hi there. Arlington county parent here (don’t believe you are @GlennYoungkin but correct me if I am wrong). Thank you to @APSVirginia for standing up for our kids, teachers and administrators and their safety in the midst of a transmissible variant,” tweeted Psaki.
