DHHS Refuses to Eliminate Student Mask Mandates, New Legislation Considered in NC House

Raleigh, NC— Yesterday, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore sent a letter to Governor Roy Cooper asking him to end the policies that effectively mandate masks in schools, as most governors across the country finally do the same.
 
Although Governor Cooper said yesterday that the DHHS would be updating COVID guidelines for students, the only update to the toolkit was to contact tracing. Unfortunately, North Carolina students will continue to be masked in the classroom.
 
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said, “This failure by Governor Cooper and DHHS to roll back obsolete mask mandates will mean that many schools will leave those mandates in place. Yesterday’s updates were simply not strong enough. We must do more to protect our children from further learning setbacks and the other consequences of keeping these mandates in place.”
 
He continued, “As soon as redistricting is completed, we will be advancing legislation in the House to give parents the ability to opt-out of mask requirements. Virginia is already advancing a bipartisan bill just like this. It is parents, not politicians, who should decide whether or not to mask their children.”