Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) on Tuesday opted to strip choice from localities and parents, announcing a statewide school mask mandate despite stating mere weeks ago that his administration would not mandate one.
Wolf touted the Secretary of Health order requiring students to wear masks in school, which takes effect September 7.
“My office has received an outpouring of messages from parents asking the administration to protect all children by requiring masks in schools,” the Democrat governor said in a statement.
“The science is clear. The Delta variant is highly transmissible and dangerous to the unvaccinated, many of whom are children too young to receive the vaccine. Requiring masks in schools will keep our students safer and in the classroom, where we all want them to be,” he continued, claiming he originally “preferred for local school boards to make this decision.”
“Unfortunately, an aggressive nationwide campaign is spreading misinformation about mask-wearing and pressuring and intimidating school districts to reject mask policies that will keep kids safe and in school,” Wolf continued.
“As we see cases among children increase in Pennsylvania and throughout the country, this is especially dangerous and challenging as we seek to keep kids in school and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment,” he added.
His administration’s move contradicts the statement he made earlier this month, dismissing the need for a statewide school mask mandate.
“I think the school districts in Pennsylvania have to decide what they want to do,” Wolf said weeks ago. “I think the CDC guidelines strongly recommend that schools do that. They’re not mandating it and neither am I.”
Alison Beam, acting secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, echoed that sentiment.
“At this time there is not a plan to mandate the masking requirement in schools because decisions of such magnitude are not made in a pure public health vacuum,” Beam stated.
However, she now claims “we are living in now is much different than it was just a month ago”:
With case counts increasing, the situation has reached the point that we need to take this action to protect our children, teachers and staff. The science is clear. If we want to keep our schools open, maintain classroom learning and allow sports and other activities to continue, masking significantly increases our chances of doing so.
Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nathan Benefield blasted Wolf’s decision, concluding the governor “contradicted both the will of the voters and himself.”
“His blatant self-contradiction was made today without support from the General Assembly and despite the decisions made by a majority of school boards to allow voluntary masking. And he is doing this with dubious legal authority and no end in sight,” he added, emphasizing the decision should be left to parents, “not bureaucrats.”
This month, Wolf begged state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring masks in schools and even acknowledged the Pennsylvania voters’ decision to strip him of his emergency powers, thereby giving greater power to the General Assembly.
In the letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R) and House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R), Wolf claimed to have received messages from parents who he said “overwhelmingly” supported a statewide mask mandate for schools. The General Assembly, however, dismissed Wolf’s 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, expressing support for their current approach of “allowing local officials to manage and respond as needed.”
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