Ohio gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci pledged to end mask mandates on his first day as governor, if he were to be elected.
In order to accomplish the goal, the Republican contender explained that he would sign an executive order to give parents the power to opt their students out of school mask mandates.
“On my first day as Governor, I will sign an executive order that gives ALL parents and children the option to OPT OUT of their school’s mask mandate and I will work with the legislature to codify it into law. Our kids have suffered enough from this abuse, but it’s increasingly clear that many school boards across Ohio have zero interest in ending these draconian and anti-science mandates anytime soon,” Renacci said in an emailed statement.
“On-again, off-again masking policies are not tenable and create a climate that is conducive to fear, not learning. Mike DeWine and school board bureaucrats may not be listening to parents, but I am. As Governor, keeping our schools OPEN and giving our kids the chance to see their friends’ and teachers’ smiling faces again will be my top priority, regardless of what school district you are in!”
Conversely, Governor Mike DeWine previously encouraged school systems across the state to implement mask mandates for students.
“Today, @OhioChildHosp is making a direct appeal to school superintendents, asking all schools in Ohio to require masks for staff and students during this very dangerous surge of #COVID19,” DeWine said late last year.
The governor detailed that the move could help kids remain in the classroom throughout the school year.
“We all share the goal of keeping our kids in school. Reasonable people may disagree about a lot, but we can all agree that we must keep our children in the classroom so they don’t fall behind and so their parents can go to work and not take time off to watch their kids at home,” he continued.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jim Renacci” by Jim Renacci.
