Freakout: Albemarle County teachers panic over Youngkin mask-choice order and “maskholes”

In a wholly predictable social media conversation, local “educators” are panicking over the possibility of unmasked students (aka “maskholes”) being permitted in their presence.

The hysterical exchange was prompted by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order Number Two, which states in part:

• The parents of any child enrolled in a elementary or secondary school or a school based early childcare and educational program may elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program.
• No parent electing that a mask mandate should not apply to his or her child shall be required to provide a reason or make any certification concerning their child’s health or education.
• A child whose parent has elected that he or she is not subject to a mask mandate should not be required to wear a mask under any policy implemented by a teacher, school, school district, the Department of Education, or any other state authority.

In their online response, several teachers bared personal fears over the policy and conspired to circumvent it at the classroom, school board, and court levels:

UPDATE: Starting an outline of an open letter

I’m noticing recent posts highlighting concerns about Youngkin’s executive orders on education and agree with many of the sentiments. Would anyone be interesting [sic] in collaborating on an open letter to the school board, urging them to stand firm against censorship and uphold the current COVID mitigation strategies, especially masking?

Another teacher lamented the concept of “parental choice”:

Talk to AEA. Vernon Liechti
But I’m not sure now what the board can do if Youngkin is allowed to give parental choice on masks. 😞

A third teacher assured the others that the local school boards and the courts would save them from implementation of “parental choice”:

[Name redacted] he’s not. The Virginia constitution [sic] puts local school boards in charge of school districts, and this overreach will no doubt land in court very soon. In the meantime, I want to know what the division is going to do.

An activist educator chimed-in to encourage resistance and defiance of the Governor’s order, citing obedience to “common sense” and “science”:

I would be interested. Two school districts in Northern Virginia have already stated there’re ignoring Youngkin’s order. I would like to see ACPS do the same. To be willing to stand for common sense and support for science. To be willing to protect the students, teachers, and staff.

Fear of the un-masked has heightened concerns for another paranoid (and grammatically challenged) instructor:

My direct worry is Tuesday in school – especially at high schools. In my building I have had students both in my classroom, lunch room, and working during class in halls directly say that they could not wait for Youngkin to get into office so they wouldn’t have to wear masks anymore. Some were planning not wearing them on Tuesday…

The activist teacher rejoined forcefully, referring to her potentially unmasked students as “maskholes” and threatening to retire if so exposed:

[Name redacted] I’ve thought about that. My plan is to avoid the hallways as much as possible to minimize exposure to the maskholes refusing to wear them. I will deal with students in my classroom by insisting they wear masks. If they refuse then I’ll send them out of the room. Let their parents complain, and let’s take this to court. The only other option I can see is to retire.

Delirious Albemarle County teachers surely are representative of colleagues statewide who are freaking-out over Youngkin’s reaffirmation of codified parental rights:

1-240.1. Rights of parents.

A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.

Unfortunate students subject to this government-education-media promulgated mask psychosis suffer most. The detrimental physical and psychological effects of forced child-masking should be obvious, but are widely dismissed by educators and their political minions.

Looking forward, the risks are exponential, as we promote a generation that will cower in fear rather than rise to the occasion—one that certainly will fail the multitude of post-education life-tests that await.