HANOVER (August 11, 2021) – During their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday evening, August 10, in reckless abandonment and with a totally irresponsible decision, the Hanover school board decided not to require masks be worn by students or teachers in Hanover schools.

The Hanover County NAACP is in strict opposition to this decision. Dr. Michael Gill presented a recommendation that students and teachers return to school with masks. His decision, based in science and determined according to CDC guidelines, the Chickahominy Health District and Virginia state guidelines for schools as determined by the Virginia Department of Education was ignored by this board.

The Hanover County school board in a vote of 4-3 has made a decision not in the best interest of our students or our teachers. They chose to ignore medical professionals and put the health of our teachers and students at risk

We call on the school board to reconvene in a special meeting, to hear from the same experts, who have informed Dr. Gill. We call for a reversal of this decision. The state standards require  schools to have maximum mitigation standards,  No mask is not a maximum mitigation strategy. As Dr. Gill pointed out, the numbers of Covid-19 in Hanover is the highest of other surrounding counties, yet we are the smallest of those counties, yet this school board refused to listen to science. The CDC is recommending masks, our own Chickahominy Health District is recommending masks.

We call on this school board to right a serious wrong. They must correct this error in judgement before a teacher or a child gets sick or even dies because of their lack of good judgement!

Pat Jordan, President
Hanover County NAACP