On Friday, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), Virginia’s third largest public school system, announced that unmasked students would face immediate suspension starting on Feb. 2.
The district justified its edict by citing Policy 8210: Introduction to Student Discipline in the “Student’s Rights and Responsibilities Handbook,” and added that students must conduct themselves accordingly.
The Epoch Times described the scene at Purcellville’s Woodgrove High School:
In a video The Epoch Times reviewed, William Shipp, principal of Woodgrove High School, spoke at about 3:45 p.m. on Friday to unmasked students kept in the auxiliary gym. “You have all chosen not to wear a mask this week. Essentially, that is just defiant of the rules Loudoun County Public Schools have put up,” said Shipp.
He told the students that they would face immediate suspension starting from the next school day on Feb. 2 if they walked into the school without wearing a mask. And the suspension wouldn’t end until the students would start wearing masks, he added.
In response to a student’s question whether the suspension was legal, Shipp referred to the Loudoun County school board policy and affirmed, “At this point, there is suspension.” He also said there was an appeal process to follow. During the suspension, students can still use Schoology, the virtual learning platform, to continue their studies, according to Shipp.
Caroline and Laura Thomas’s letters from Woodgrove High School were identical except for student ID and other personal information. Any students “who willfully continue to refuse to follow COVID mitigation measures as required by Loudoun County Public Schools will be suspended from school” for “disobedience” and “defiance,” according to the letters.
Friday’s development makes LCPS the latest school district to come out in opposition to Gov. Youngkin’s executive order allowing parents to choose whether or not their children should mask up.