ATLANTA — It’s now illegal for local school districts to implement mask mandates unless it gives parents an opportunity to opt out for their children.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Unmask Students Act into law Tuesday afternoon.
Democrats are accusing Kemp of playing politics with mask mandates and students. The governor said this is about the ultimate in local control — the control of parents.
Parents and their children joined Kemp and other Georgia Republican lawmakers as he signed the bill into law.
The law doesn’t ban local school districts from having mask mandates but does require them to give parents opt-outs, which critics say defeats the purpose of a mask mandate.
After the signing ceremony, Channel 2′s Richard Elliot asked what message it sends to Georgia.
“I think it’s just a message that, look, we’ve got to move on. We’ve been dealing with this for two years. People have the knowledge. They have the tools. Mandates, I’ve said this for a long time, they divide people,” Kemp said.
Elliot contacted several school districts for comment about the passage of the bill.
Atlanta Public Schools said they no longer have a mask mandate, but still encourage mask-wearing.
It said it would follow the law, but also threw a bit of shade at it.
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“APS will of course abide by the law,” the district said. “We are appreciative of the autonomy previously provided to local school districts to make decisions around protecting the health of our students and staff.”
But Democrats like Atlanta Rep. Kim Schofield called Kemp a hypocrite and someone who preaches local control until it goes against his political needs.
She accused Kemp of pushing the Unmask Students Act to appeal to the far-right Republican base just as he’s running for reelection.
She called it both reckless and a political stunt.
“The fact that we are protecting kids and more importantly protecting educators speaks to the priorities of the governor, which is not for the people, not for the students, but is again another political stunt,” Schofield said.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Elliot received a response from Cobb County Schools which said, in part: “Cobb schools remain committed to providing parents with the flexibility to make decisions that are best for their families.”
They believe this bill guarantees parents across the state will have that same flexibility.
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