Sep. 01, 2021
HARRISBURG: The Bucks County House Republican Caucus, comprised of Reps. Frank Farry (R-Langhorne), Wendi Thomas (R-Richboro), Meghan Schroeder (R-Warminster), Todd Polinchock (R-Warrington), Shelby Labs (R-Doylestown), KC Tomlinson (R-Bensalem), and Craig Staats (R-Quakertown), issued the following statement on Gov. Wolf’s mask mandate for all Pennsylvania schools:
“For months now our local school districts, working with parents and medical authorities, crafted mitigation policies for our teachers and school children. These policies, including whether to require universal masks, were tailored for each district. These were the policies supported by the governor, who told Pennsylvanians broad, universal mitigation orders were inefficient and less effective than local decision-making.
“Disappointingly, the governor reversed himself from supporting local decision making to once again using a one-size fits-all approach.
“The coronavirus impacts Pennsylvania’s cities, towns and counties in different ways. Understanding this is the key to effectively protecting our kids, which is why local control is critical. Imposing a one-size, fits-all approach is an ineffective strategy for combating a health crisis.
“While both the science and the guidance surrounding COVID-19 continues to change rapidly, we hold to our position that those making decisions at the local level have the ability to react more quickly and effectively than their counterparts at the state level.
“The reality is local control includes school boards and local governments gathering input from health professionals, families, and educators so decisions are made that best serve the health, welfare and education of our children in each community.”
Bucks County House Delegation
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com