Bill to prohibit schools from requiring masks passes first hurdle
Rep. Lynn Bechler
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By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A bill to prohibit public schools, colleges and universities from requiring masks has passed out of committee and is on its way to the full House.
House Bill 51, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion, would prohibit mask requirements “on any public school premises,” school-sponsored transportation and at school-sponsored events. It would also ban requirements at public colleges and universities, and allows parents of children enrolled in publicly funded child-care facilities to refuse masking for their children without any retribution.
The bill conflicts with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order that required students and drivers to wear masks on buses, regardless of their vaccination status. The rule applies to all public transportation conveyances.
The bill, with a committee substitute that drops references to viruses other than Covid-19, passed out of the House Education Committee on a 12-7 vote, with Republicans Adam Koenig of Erlanger and Killian Timoney of Lexington voting “no” with the Democrats.
Explaining his “no” vote, Timoney, who works in the Fayette County Public Schools, said his constituents are asking him to do what it takes to keep kids in school rather than at home with non-traditional instruction.
“So for me, this is a mask versus an NTI,” he said. “And all the evidence about mask wearing and harms, it’s anecdotal. What’s not anecdotal is NTI being a detriment. So that’s why I’m a no vote today. To keep local control and . . . making sure that we’re keeping kids in person.”
When asked about the issue of local control, Bechler said, “I don’t know of anything that more local than a parent making the decision whether or not their child should have to wear a mask.” In a news release, he said, “Giving local control is ultimately about giving people a choice in what impacts them the most. . . . Parents can make their own informed decision when it comes to this, and college students should be able to do the same. I look forward to seeing all the smiles on children’s faces.”
Among the 534 study participants who reported the type of mask they used, cloth masks offered 56% more protection against the virus than wearing no mask indoors; surgical masks offered 66% more; and respirator mask, such as N95 or KN95, offered the most additional protection, 83%.
“To take away this protection from my family, to take away my children’s ability to attend school by advocating for this bill — you’re actively advocating against medically fragile kids and their families,” Worthen said.