We have been following closely the lawsuit filed by seven public school boards regarding Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 2, and have reviewed the opinion issued on Feb. 4. In her opinion, Judge DiMatteo did not dispute the authority of the Governor to issue EO2, or its validity in general. Instead, her opinion focused on the interplay between the broad emergency powers of the Governor and the more specific authority granted to each public school board under S.B. 1303 to determine whether it is “practicable” to employ various COVID-19 mitigation strategies recommended by the CDC. Since S.B. 1303 affected public schools only, Judge DiMatteo’s ruling has no direct effect on private schools.
Bishop Burbidge has been consistent in ensuring Catholic schools and religious education programs in the Diocese of Arlington are in keeping with appropriate COVID protocols and abiding by state directives. As such, all Catholic schools and religious education programs within the Diocese of Arlington will continue leaving the decision of whether a student will wear a mask up to the parents. We will continue to monitor CDC guidelines and assess the public health situation in all regions of the Diocese of Arlington.