CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Chesterfield County Public Schools will hold a special meeting Thursday at 1:30 p.m. to decide whether or not the district will follow Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order Two, which would allow parents to decide whether or not their child wears a mask to school.
While some parents said the county should continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation to wear masks in school buildings, other parents said it was time for them to decide what’s best for their own children.
“I am very nervous about this," Jessica Moore, two has two children at Swift Creek Elementary School in Midlothian, said. "My kids will stay masked no matter what. My kids are both vaccinated, but I have a little one who can't be yet. And so whatever my kids bring home, they're bringing home to him as well.”
Moore said she wanted the mask mandate to stay in place, noting her daughter's asthma and her son is immunocompromised.
"If my son gets sick, I mean, he could he could end up in the hospital," Moore said.
But this mom of three also understood some children have sensory issues and medical conditions that make masking for several hours a day difficult.
"If your child has a legitimate reason why the mask really truly is inhibiting them, I don't have a problem with that," she said.
Carrie Love said her two Chesterfield fifth graders have medical exemptions from mask-wearing.
She sent CBS 6 her statement to the school board, which read in part, “We the parents retain our freedom of choice. As an elected board member, you are obligated to take the concerns of all citizens when making your decisions.”
Parent Ryan Hobson also supports optional masking.
He too a statement, which reads in part, “We have been ignoring the detrimental mental, emotional, and development impact of forcing children to cover their faces for eight hours a day among their peers. It is time to turn the page on mandatory masking in schools. Of course, those who wish to mask can continue to do so."
The Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends children continue masking in school.
The Chesterfield Education Association is calling for those attending Thursday's special meeting to wear red to show solidarity with educators fighting for school health and safety.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
