* indicates a change made to this story as of this update.
POQUOSON — Beginning Jan. 24, Poquoson City Public Schools (PCPS) will no longer require that students and staff wear masks while on school property.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the Poquoson City School Board voted to align the PCPS COVID-19 mitigation plan with Executive Order Number Two issued by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
In a Thursday, Jan. 20 email to families, PCPS stated that the Division will continue to recommend and promote all COVID-19 mitigations guidance from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Beginning Jan. 24, parents of students in this school district can choose whether or not their child wears a mask to school.
Parents electing for their child not to wear masks are not required to provide a reason to the schools.
However, the federal mask requirement for public transportation remains in place.
“Anyone riding a school bus will be required to wear a mask when embarking, disembarking, and for the duration of the journey,” the email stated.
The email also stated that, as of Jan. 19, PCPS employees are no longer conducting COVID-19 contact tracing or overseeing the quarantine of any individual who is exposed to COVID-19.
The decision over the mask mandate has been left up to school board votes this week.
Like Poquoson, the City of Chesapeake’s school board voted Thursday to follow the Governor’s executive order and make masks optional in schools beginning Monday.
Virginia Beach schools also voted to leave the decision up to parents.
School boards in Portsmouth, Hampton, Norfolk and Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) will maintain the current mask mandate. *York County School Division (YCSD) announced that students and staff will continue to wear masks while the Division awaits further guidance.
Gloucester County Public Schools have yet to announce a decision. Newport News Public Schools said that the division will provide further guidance by Friday, Jan. 21.
