Ga. parents look forward to Kemp’s proposal to end school mask mandates

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Georgia Governor Brian Kemps is working to ban mask mandates in schools. The legislation will allow parents to make the decision for their children.

Two mothers who have children in the Muscogee County School District say they think this is a move in the right direction.

“I’m completely in favor of it,” said Whitney Edwards a Columbus mother.

For some parents in the Chattahoochee Valley, Governor Brian Kemp’s proposal to end mask mandates in schools comes as a relief.

On Wednesday, the governor announced he is working on legislation that would allow parents to decide whether or not their child has to wear a mask.

Something mothers like Whitney Edwards say only makes sense.

“As a parent of three girls, different ages, that as a parent I know my children the best,” said Edwards.

Terri Jordan, physician assistant and owner of Acute Care Emergence, says the role of the mask was the only safety measures from COVID in the beginning of the pandemic. But now, she says with vaccines and more research makes it safe to re-evaluate mask mandates in schools.

Another Columbus parent who is also pro-choice says she thinks the mask wearing has been hard on children.

“I think it’s scary. Two years ago, they could go out on the playground, run around. And now, they are being boxed in,” the parent said.

Jordan says if the bill is passes, parents should consider a few things when making their decision.

“It’s really important to understand what the school policy is and also not even just our spacing, vaccines and masks, but our return to school policy,” said Jordan.

As legislation to ban mask mandates in schools surface, this Columbus mother says she believes mask will never fully go away.

“Mask will always be around because that fear has set in and it’s out there and what if it comes into my home.”

The overall consensus is that parents want to decide on their own whether their children wear masks.

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