Masking policy Arlington Diocesan Schools

[Anonymous]

Crazy thought — if you don’t like the policy, LEAVE! Goes for teachers too. Nobody’s forcing you to attend the school. I hear there are free public schools available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So ashamed of the Diocese right now. Would they have followed an order from a Democratic Governor that forced Catholic schools to survey parents about incorporating more Catholic Social Teaching into the curriculum? Or their dress code? Highly doubt it. Since when is a religiously affiliated school beholden to a state actor? This is nuts!

They just followed a Democrat governor in August 2021 when they were all set to start the yeah with a “mask optional” policy and then Northam issued his mandatory mask order. And yes, the Arlington Diocese complied with that order.

Now the political directive has changed. Ahhh, freedom!

The law is well established that state actors have authority to take protective measures during a public health emergency. That doesn’t mean the authority extends to prohibiting masks at private schools. Outside of this very limited exception for imposing public health measures, the government has no business interfering with private school operations or controlling its decisions.

Where has the government prohibited people from wearing masks?

It prohibits schools from requiring masks. You know what I meant.

Why would the state of Virginia get to tell Catholic schools they can’t require masks? Seriously, what is the legal authority for this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So ashamed of the Diocese right now. Would they have followed an order from a Democratic Governor that forced Catholic schools to survey parents about incorporating more Catholic Social Teaching into the curriculum? Or their dress code? Highly doubt it. Since when is a religiously affiliated school beholden to a state actor? This is nuts!

They just followed a Democrat governor in August 2021 when they were all set to start the yeah with a “mask optional” policy and then Northam issued his mandatory mask order. And yes, the Arlington Diocese complied with that order.

Now the political directive has changed. Ahhh, freedom!

The law is well established that state actors have authority to take protective measures during a public health emergency. That doesn’t mean the authority extends to prohibiting masks at private schools. Outside of this very limited exception for imposing public health measures, the government has no business interfering with private school operations or controlling its decisions.

Oh yeah - I remember you posting yesterday. You’re wrong. In any event, Arlington Diocese has gone back to its original plan that they were planning on following before governor blackface butted in and issued his mask mandate.

Are all you people complaining about this award that a mask optional approach was always the Diocese’s plan before the government forced them to do otherwise?

Pp- please stop with your repeated “Governor blackface” comments. Name calling is not necessary, is unChristian, and quite frankly reduces your credibility when you act in such a childish manner. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So ashamed of the Diocese right now. Would they have followed an order from a Democratic Governor that forced Catholic schools to survey parents about incorporating more Catholic Social Teaching into the curriculum? Or their dress code? Highly doubt it. Since when is a religiously affiliated school beholden to a state actor? This is nuts!

They just followed a Democrat governor in August 2021 when they were all set to start the yeah with a “mask optional” policy and then Northam issued his mandatory mask order. And yes, the Arlington Diocese complied with that order.

Now the political directive has changed. Ahhh, freedom!

The law is well established that state actors have authority to take protective measures during a public health emergency. That doesn’t mean the authority extends to prohibiting masks at private schools. Outside of this very limited exception for imposing public health measures, the government has no business interfering with private school operations or controlling its decisions.

Oh yeah - I remember you posting yesterday. You’re wrong. In any event, Arlington Diocese has gone back to its original plan that they were planning on following before governor blackface butted in and issued his mask mandate.

Are all you people complaining about this award that a mask optional approach was always the Diocese’s plan before the government forced them to do otherwise?

Pp- please stop with your repeated “Governor blackface” comments. Name calling is not necessary, is unChristian, and quite frankly reduces your credibility when you act in such a childish manner. Do better.

Please. Spare me the fake indignation. If that had been a republican, you’d call him worse than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crazy thought — if you don’t like the policy, LEAVE! Goes for teachers too. Nobody’s forcing you to attend the school. I hear there are free public schools available.

Wow, as a teacher this is so disheartening and disappointing to read. Who else will step up to work in classrooms if large numbers of teachers leave over this health and safety issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So ashamed of the Diocese right now. Would they have followed an order from a Democratic Governor that forced Catholic schools to survey parents about incorporating more Catholic Social Teaching into the curriculum? Or their dress code? Highly doubt it. Since when is a religiously affiliated school beholden to a state actor? This is nuts!

They just followed a Democrat governor in August 2021 when they were all set to start the yeah with a “mask optional” policy and then Northam issued his mandatory mask order. And yes, the Arlington Diocese complied with that order.

Now the political directive has changed. Ahhh, freedom!

The law is well established that state actors have authority to take protective measures during a public health emergency. That doesn’t mean the authority extends to prohibiting masks at private schools. Outside of this very limited exception for imposing public health measures, the government has no business interfering with private school operations or controlling its decisions.

Oh yeah - I remember you posting yesterday. You’re wrong. In any event, Arlington Diocese has gone back to its original plan that they were planning on following before governor blackface butted in and issued his mask mandate.

Are all you people complaining about this award that a mask optional approach was always the Diocese’s plan before the government forced them to do otherwise?

Pp- please stop with your repeated “Governor blackface” comments. Name calling is not necessary, is unChristian, and quite frankly reduces your credibility when you act in such a childish manner. Do better.

Please. Spare me the fake indignation. If that had been a republican, you’d call him worse than that.

Not fake and not a partisan response. Sorry, but I don’t fit your narrative.

[Anonymous]

Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crazy thought — if you don’t like the policy, LEAVE! Goes for teachers too. Nobody’s forcing you to attend the school. I hear there are free public schools available.

Wow, as a teacher this is so disheartening and disappointing to read. Who else will step up to work in classrooms if large numbers of teachers leave over this health and safety issue?

I don’t think anti-mask families fully appreciate the terrible staffing issues.

[Anonymous]

I think it will be fine. Not many in our school have good masks and there have not issues. Most people will keep the mask on for a few more weeks. A few militant anti-maskers will not. Omicron should (hopefully) decrease in a few more weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

The problem with waiting is there should have been no masks in Oct. and Nov. they missed that opportunity. So now you have to take it when you can get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

I think the Governor’s order precluded that option. They’d have to have defied the order and prepare for a legal fight. I’m saddened that it came to this, but I understand why they made the choice they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

I think the Governor’s order precluded that option. They’d have to have defied the order and prepare for a legal fight. I’m saddened that it came to this, but I understand why they made the choice they did.

No it didn’t. They made this choice. And it will create great division. It is too bad. There is already so much tension and trouble with staffing. They could have done this is a much more graceful way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

The problem with waiting is there should have been no masks in Oct. and Nov. they missed that opportunity. So now you have to take it when you can get it.

No. Kids under 12 were not eligible to start vaccination until Nov.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why didn’t they just wait a few weeks? They could have announced that in mid-Feb when cases are expected to be lower that masks would become optional. Instead, they took the most divisive position possible and there will be significant issues at school now. 2 classes of students and it will cause problems. Such an ill-thought out plan.

I think the Governor’s order precluded that option. They’d have to have defied the order and prepare for a legal fight. I’m saddened that it came to this, but I understand why they made the choice they did.

The law is very much on the schools’ side, as this is a clear case of government overreach, particularly where it comes to private and independent schools. We all know there are lots of lawyers around here and nobody has yet to point to any legal authority for the order. The state can’t ban private schools from requiring masks.

[Anonymous]

Also, what penalty could the state possibly impose on Catholic schools if they have defied the order? They don’t provide state funding or have any other capacity to control these schools. It’s truly ludicrous that the Diocese has simply rolled over and not pushed back on the government.