Arlington Public Schools: Seven School Divisions Take Joint Legal Action To Affirm Local Constitutional Authority To Keep Public Schools ...

Arlington VA

24 January, 2022

9:32 AM

Description

Press release from Arlington Public Schools: 2022-01-24 Without today's action, school boards are placed in a legally untenable position — faced with an executive order that is in conflict with the constitution and state law. Today's action is not politically motivated. These seven school divisions would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the governor to ensure the safety and welfare of all students. This lawsuit is not brought out of choice, but out of necessity. With COVID-19 transmission rates high, our hospitals at crisis level, and the continued recommendation of health experts to retain universal mask-wearing for the time being, this is simply not the time to remove this critical component of layered health and safety mitigation strategies. School divisions need to continue to preserve their authority to protect and serve all our students, including our most vulnerable, who need these mitigation measures perhaps more than anyone to be able to continue to access in-person instruction. This press release was produced by Arlington Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.