Governor Glenn Youngkin released the following statement after State Senator Chap Petersen’s Amendment to Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s Senate Bill SB739 was adopted 29-9, creating a parental opt-out from local school mask mandates:
“In an overwhelming bipartisan show of support, the Senate of Virginia took a significant step today for parents and children. I applaud Senator Petersen’s amendment to give parents the right to decide whether their children should wear masks in schools. In the last week, we have seen Democrat-led states like Oregon, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware move away from universal mask mandates in schools. I am pleased that there is bipartisan support for doing the same in Virginia. This shows that when we work across the aisle, we put Virginians first. I look forward to signing this bill when it comes to my desk,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.