Gov. Kay Ivey has released a statement in light of schools dropping their remaining mask mandates. Ivey has drawn criticism on the issue, with many Alabamians arguing that she hasn’t been vocal enough about dropping mask mandates in schools sooner. In January, when the positivity rate for coronavirus tests exceeded 35% statewide, some state school systems returned to online learning or implemented mask restrictions to avoid classroom outbreaks. With the current omicron outbreak waning, schools are reversing mask mandates.
“I applaud the Alabama schools and universities who have made the decision to end mask mandates. Given the health data we’ve seen in Alabama and across the country, I encourage all schools to continue removing these mandates — we don’t need them in Alabama,” Ivey stated. “As a former teacher, I know well that parents should be in charge of making the best decisions for their kids, not government. That’s why here in Alabama, we don’t have covid state government mandates — we sued President Biden over his mandates, and we won. I believe in the good people of our state and will always protect their freedoms.”
