Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) is begging state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring children wear masks in schools, detailing his plea in a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R) and House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R).
Wolf contends his administration has seen overwhelming pleas from parents, whom he says “favor a statewide mask mandate for schools, especially in schools where children cannot be vaccinated yet.”
In the letter, Wolf noted the Pennsylvania voters’ decision to strip him of his emergency powers, giving greater power to the General Assembly. The vote followed Wolf’s months-long lockdowns, which triggered protests around the state, earning him the nickname “Commie Tommy” Wolf:
Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf listening to speakers at the event. Governor Tom Wolf today visited the PA CareerLink York County to highlight the virtual services available to people looking for work and employers seeking qualified candidates. The governor also urged Republicans in Congress to extend the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program that provides an extra $600 a week to people receiving unemployment compensation. The federal program ended July 25. Harrisburg, PA – July 28, 2020 (Flickr).
“I write today to again ask that we work together to manage this ongoing COVID-19 emergency,” Wolf said, telling the lawmakers he has become “increasingly concerned about misinformation being spread to try to discredit a school district’s clear ability to implement masking to protect their students and staff, and the premise of local control being usurped by the threat – implicit or explicit – of political consequences for making sound public health and education decisions.”
Wolf said his administration has received an “outpouring of calls from parents, teachers, pediatricians and others urging action to mandate masking in K-12 classrooms due to the inaction of many school districts,” contending constituents are “very concerned” about the lack of mask mandates in their respective school districts.
“Overwhelmingly, these parents’ messages favor a statewide mask mandate for schools, especially in schools where children cannot be vaccinated yet,” Wolf claimed, adding that “only 59 school districts out of the 474 that submitted health and safety plans to the Department of Education have implemented mandatory masking policies” as of July 30:
Students waking in the hallway at Tibbals Elementary School place their arms in front as a reminder to socially distance in Murphy, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot’s statewide mask order does not mandate face covering for children under the age of 10, allowing some school districts to not require masks for children leaving the choice of mask use up to the parents (AP Photo/LM Otero).
“It is clear that action is needed to ensure children are safe as they return to school,” he continued, adding that “the science is clear that masks reduce virus transmission and that they, along with our vaccination efforts, give us the best chance to keep our classrooms and child care centers open instead of having them shut down due to COVID infections among Pennsylvania’s children”:
As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, my administration has sought to include the legislature in our efforts and make the process more collaborative. I am asking you to call the General Assembly back to Harrisburg immediately to work with me to pass legislation that will require schools and child care centers to implement masking requirements while in the classroom. My administration will continue to monitor the situation, communicate and work with the General Assembly and take actions as needed to keep our children safe, and in the classroom. With school having already started in many areas of the state, the time to act is now.
“Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your response,” Wolf added.
However, the General Assembly has rejected his plea.
“We, along with many of our colleagues, have seen data and received firsthand accounts from our healthcare leaders on exactly what is happening in Pennsylvania and specifically in our home areas and regions for much of the summer,” Republican leaders wrote.
“During that same time period, you and members of your administration have made it publicly known that you would not impose any additional statewide mandates and instead allow mitigation decisions to be made at a local level. Your letter today is a stark departure from that position,” they continued, ultimately denying Wolf’s request.
“We believe that the current approach – allowing local officials to manage and respond as needed – makes the most sense and should be continued,” they said.
“The rise in new cases within the state and across the country is a clear reminder that we must always be vigilant. However, the impact is not equal everywhere,” they continued.
“That is why we continue to believe it is the best interest of local communities and their healthcare leaders to make their own mitigation decisions with support from the state, which includes clear and specific data upon which to make the best choices,” the lawmakers added.
A spokesperson for Wolf, however, said, “Quick action is often what is needed during times of emergency when conditions change.”
“It is critical that we do everything we can to ensure that our kids remain in school full time in person, so parents can remain in the workforce and our students can get the best education,” the spokesperson added.