Our school will continue to require masks, thankfully. Their position is basically that their entire mitigation strategy relies on masking, none of the agencies in charge of public health have indicated that schools should make masks optional (nor is there any guidance on how to cobble together an effective mitigation strategy if masks are suddenly removed from the equation), there is a law in place that tells us to follow CDC guidance, and there are significant unresolved legal questions about the use of the EO to override the procedures that have been developed in close coordination with the departments of health. The status quo governs until the health department and lawyers tell them otherwise. This is what it looks like when grown ups are trying to keep kids and staff safe, while prioritizing keeping schools open. This is a school that isn’t masking because it’s forced to - it’s just working hard to keep kids on campus. Some schools may jump at the opportunity to loosen mask requirements and now they have legal cover to do that. If that’s your preference and that’s what your school is doing, I don’t have a problem with that, but I’m glad the institution I’ve trusted for years isn’t going that route.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, every single Catholic school in the Diocese (so, all of NOVA) has decided to abide by the Order. Off the top of my head, I heard ILS in Alexandria is also going mask optional.

I hope you have back up care…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if any schools will give students a *qualified* choice to go maskless by acknowledging the tension between enrollment contracts and going maskless (our school’s contract made us commit to following the school’s covid protocols) - so it may be within the student’s legal right to go maskless, but it constitutes a breach of contract such that the student will not be invited back the next year. Obviously the issue plays out differently at a school that would prefer to make masks optional.

Sounds fair to me. If by next year my daughter’s private school is still insisting on masks we will leave anyway. And if they are so butthurt that after nearly 2 years if this COVID thing, and after vaccinations and natural immunity, we chose to not make our daughter wear a mask, that they would turn down our tuition dollars because of that … so be it. We have other options.

Anytime someone whips out “natural immunity” you know their argument is garbage.

I’m sorry your school doesn’t proactively spike the water with ivermectin.

You took the words out of my mouth!!

Anonymous wrote:I have not read the whole thread but just saw that the Arlington Diocese is adopting Youngkin’s opt out policy for masks. That is pretty much all Catholic schools in Northern Virginia. Any NOVA independent schools doing the same?

No, not the respectable ones.

Yes, every single Catholic school in the Diocese (so, all of NOVA) has decided to abide by the Order. Off the top of my head, I heard ILS in Alexandria is also going mask optional.

I have not read the whole thread but just saw that the Arlington Diocese is adopting Youngkin’s opt out policy for masks. That is pretty much all Catholic schools in Northern Virginia. Any NOVA independent schools doing the same?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most parents are too stupid to be allowed to make decisions for their kid’s education much less their healthcare. Trumplicans are the perfect example.

So your suggestion is that state makes decisions for people's kids? You are thinking state will make a better, more informed, well-designed choice for each kid? Look at how government operates. Proof is there.

This is why my kids have gone to private school from day one. I trust the administration of the private school my kids attend to make the best decision for the students (including my child). The school had the necessary expertise or employs it when necessary. The government, especially with a dopey Trump sycophant like Youngkin in charge, is out of the picture when it comes to my kid. The State (Commonwealth) in this case can go jump if a cliff. Under the Constitution they have no ability to supersede the schools decisions.

The government is always inefficient, always makes one size fits all type of policy, and almost always acts partisan. It has no place in making health decisions for any individual, whether it be kids or adults.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most parents are too stupid to be allowed to make decisions for their kid’s education much less their healthcare. Trumplicans are the perfect example.

So your suggestion is that state makes decisions for people's kids? You are thinking state will make a better, more informed, well-designed choice for each kid? Look at how government operates. Proof is there.

This is why my kids have gone to private school from day one. I trust the administration of the private school my kids attend to make the best decision for the students (including my child). The school had the necessary expertise or employs it when necessary. The government, especially with a dopey Trump sycophant like Youngkin in charge, is out of the picture when it comes to my kid. The State (Commonwealth) in this case can go jump if a cliff. Under the Constitution they have no ability to supersede the schools decisions.

You trust the administration of the school! Ha. That's a good one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most parents are too stupid to be allowed to make decisions for their kid’s education much less their healthcare. Trumplicans are the perfect example.

So your suggestion is that state makes decisions for people's kids? You are thinking state will make a better, more informed, well-designed choice for each kid? Look at how government operates. Proof is there.

This is why my kids have gone to private school from day one. I trust the administration of the private school my kids attend to make the best decision for the students (including my child). The school had the necessary expertise or employs it when necessary. The government, especially with a dopey Trump sycophant like Youngkin in charge, is out of the picture when it comes to my kid. The State (Commonwealth) in this case can go jump if a cliff. Under the Constitution they have no ability to supersede the schools decisions.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe this should be the focus of the Charter schools they want to form - maskless schools for the diseased and unvaxed to go to and the rest of us can keep our kids healthy and unbraindamaged from Long Covid.

You are quick to dump the kids you found disgusting to another school that will be built from scratch? Because they deserve that??

Remember that Nazi style segregation and torture started just like that, first thinking the other section of the society is disgusting, and that it is a class of people to be feared.

History is repeating itself so quickly, and you are not taking any lessons from it.

Maybe this should be the focus of the Charter schools they want to form - maskless schools for the diseased and unvaxed to go to and the rest of us can keep our kids healthy and unbraindamaged from Long Covid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most parents are too stupid to be allowed to make decisions for their kid’s education much less their healthcare. Trumplicans are the perfect example.

So your suggestion is that state makes decisions for people's kids? You are thinking state will make a better, more informed, well-designed choice for each kid? Look at how government operates. Proof is there.

This is a private school discussion. The schools should make the decision in consultation with the community.

Anonymous wrote:I prefer that parents are respected and entrusted with the responsibility to decide whether their child will wear mask. So thankful to see parental choice and respect for individual families at our private school again.

Masks prevent spread, so your decision to express your whatever by sending your germy child to school maskless impacts all of his peers, his teachers and the community. I'd prefer my kid not bring home your kid's germs.

Anonymous wrote:Most parents are too stupid to be allowed to make decisions for their kid’s education much less their healthcare. Trumplicans are the perfect example.

So your suggestion is that state makes decisions for people's kids? You are thinking state will make a better, more informed, well-designed choice for each kid? Look at how government operates. Proof is there.

Anonymous wrote:Paranoid hypochondriacs shall not get to dictate what health decisions other parents make for their children.

+1