Maryland Board of Education Votes to End Statewide School Mask Mandate

The Maryland Board of Education on Tuesday voted to end the statewide school mask mandate as school board members hope to do so by March 1.

In a 12-2 vote, the board opted in favor of lifting the state-sanctioned mandate, which forces children to wear a mask in school settings. By doing this, the board paves the way for school boards to make their own decisions.

While board members are hoping to lift the mandate by March 1, there is no set date yet as a joint legislative committee must approve. The vote reportedly came after parents continued to push for the edict to be removed.

According to WTOP News:

Darlene Persons, who described herself as a grandmother, was among those who traveled to Baltimore to speak to the board.

Persons held up a drawing she said one of her grandchildren made, showing a child holding up a mask, breathing a sigh of relief. Referring to the Maryland State Department of Education by its acronym, Persons told the board, “MSDE may think that these mask mandates don’t affect our kids in school, but they do in so many ways,” she said.

“Shame on all of you if you don’t end the mask mandate today.”

“Parents and kids need choice now,” another parent added. “Please change your guidance – including your early education center guidance – to state that masks should be optional for all young children.”

The board’s vote comes after two weeks of blue state leaders lifting remaining mask mandates in their state — both the indoor mask mandates and in some cases the statewide school mask mandates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, has yet to update its school mask guidance, as it still recommends universal indoor masking by “all students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”