SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - The Delaware Republican Party is pushing back against Governor Carney’s newest mask requirement in schools, as school districts across the state prepare for the new mandate.
The governor announced an indoor mask mandate for K-12 students in public and private schools, and daycares on Tuesday.
WRDE reached out to three different school districts on Wednesday, and two were unavailable for comment. Indian River School District told WRDE the district is busy preparing for this new requirement and working on other back to school issues.
The Cape Henlopen School District is waiting for the state to release additional details on the newest requirement. Superintendent Bob Fulton told WRDE in a statement, “We will be finalizing the details of our plan for the upcoming year over the next week or so and that plan will be presented at our upcoming Board of Education meeting on August 19.”
Chair of the Delaware Republican Party Jane Brady is calling the governor’s decision misguided and too quick.
“It doesn’t take into account the impact masks have had on the emotional and physical health of our kids,” said Brady.
Brady says the masks stifle interaction and communication skills, adding that this decision was made by the wrong people.
“I believe that every school district should make the decision with input from the parents, the parents aren’t opposed to masks because they don’t care about the safety of their children. They’re opposed to masks because they’ve seen the daily impact that wearing them has had on their kids,” said Brady.
The governor’s office told WRDE in a statement “We relied heavily on guidance from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics in making this decision, and consulted with school and district leaders.”
Brady continued to say, “It’s unnecessary, if you're not vaccinated get tested, make sure the kids are safe that way, but don’t push this failure on the part of some adults to take care of themselves, onto these kids.”
The state said the governor has been clear that his priority is getting children back in the classroom safely.
"This is about getting our children back in school and keeping them there not shutting them down,” said Governor John Carney.
This requirement goes into effect next Monday August 16th.