A lawsuit filed by parents in Virginia against Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has been dismissed.
Last month, a group of parents sued Youngkin, urging the state’s Supreme Court to stop his executive order ending mask mandates in public schools.
Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter previously reacted to the lawsuit, saying, “We will continue to protect parents’ fundamental right to make decisions with regard to their child’s upbringing, education and care.”
On Monday, the Virginia Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said, “The Governor and I are pleased with today’s ruling.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “universal indoor masking by all students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”
Additionally, the agency recommends “schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk.”
The Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling comes on the same day that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said his state will no longer require students and employees to wear masks, as The New York Times reported.
“This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,” Murphy said.
He explained last week the “overwhelming sentiment on both sides of the aisle is we want to get to a place where we can live with this thing in as normal a fashion as possible.”
Murphy also tweeted, “Effective March 7, the statewide mask mandate in schools will be lifted. Balancing public health with getting back to some semblance of normalcy is not easy. But we can responsibly take this step due to declining COVID numbers and growth in vaccinations.”
Effective March 7, the statewide mask mandate in schools will be lifted.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 7, 2022
Balancing public health with getting back to some semblance of normalcy is not easy. But we can responsibly take this step due to declining COVID numbers and growth in vaccinations. https://t.co/CjnIYZycCe
Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) announced Monday the state’s indoor mask mandate for public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities will end in March, as NPR reported.