DJ Pennsylvania Governor Makes Masks Mandatory in Schools

By Kris Maher

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday that students, teachers and staff will be required to wear masks in K-12 schools under a new statewide health order, as Covid-19 cases jump from the Delta variant (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-delta-variant-and-covid-19-vaccines-what-to-know-11627079604) and the school year gets under way.

The order will apply to public and private schools, early learning programs and child-care facilities, and take effect Sept. 7. The order doesn't apply to school sports or outdoor activities.

"Requiring masks in schools will keep our students safer and in the classroom, where we all want them to be," said Mr. Wolf, a Democrat.

He had asked state lawmakers last week to come back into session to pass a mask mandate, but they declined.

The governor said he would have preferred to let local school districts make the decisions, but that an "aggressive nationwide campaign is spreading misinformation about mask-wearing and pressuring and intimidating school districts to reject mask policies that will keep kids safe and in school."

The issue has been controversial across the state, with parents on both sides voicing their views in often heated school board meetings. Republican lawmakers, who control the Legislature, have said they think mask rules should be set by local officials based on local conditions.

"The governor again claims he knows better than our neighbors on the boards and parents of students," Rep. Torren Ecker, a Republican, said in a statement.

A map of mask rules statewide posted by Mr. Ecker showed that the vast majority of the school districts in the state had some form of optional mask wearing, as opposed to the governor's mandatory requirement.

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August 31, 2021 15:28 ET (19:28 GMT)

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