Ohio banned schools from using vaccine passports and a second bill would block them from mandating masks.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) previously claimed he would veto any legislation that would “discourage vaccination,” but he “quietly” signed a bill outlawing the use of vaccine passports, the Ohio Capital Journal reported. The ban applied to vaccines that do not have full FDA approval, and DeWine is confident the coronavirus vaccines will receive it in the future.
“This is about personal rights, and it’s also about making sure our students are protected,” amendment sponsor, state Sen. Andrew Brenner (R) said during debate, according to Breitbart News.
Brenner is back with another bill that would prevent schools from requiring children or adults from wearing masks.
Via the Ohio Capital Journal:
Senate Bill 209, introduced by state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, is unlikely to impact school districts’ decisions for the fall, as lawmakers are on break until after most schools return to class. But the bill reflects continued attempts from those in the Ohio General Assembly to block public mitigation efforts of a virus that has killed more than 20,000 Ohioans to date.
SB 209 would prohibit the state school board, the Ohio Department of Education or individual school districts’ boards of education from requiring anyone to wear facial coverings in a public education setting.
It would apply to the classroom, athletic events, or any other school-related function.
“An individual may choose to wear a facial covering but shall not be required to do so,” the bill states.
“No mask breaks, dirty masks being used over and over again, kids running around in a playground with a mask, I mean that’s just ridiculous,” Brenner told Spectrum News.
“I don’t think that the masks have worked at all.”
Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski said everyone should wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
“If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is saying that those who are unvaccinated still should mask, and the law says you can’t distinguish, then everyone will mask, and I believe that’s what will happen, and that’s certainly what we would promote,” she said.
“It doesn’t surprise me that this would be something that would be introduced in the state legislature. I know that we have districts, unions and families that would be opposed to the legislation and we would certainly make our opinions known about it,” Obrenski said.
The union president claimed “most” families in the Cleveland district would support a “universal mask mandate.”
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