Fairfax County family protests 10-year old daughter’s suspensions for not wearing mask to school

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Fairfax County family is protesting after a school suspended their 10-year old girl multiple times for not wearing a mask.

Bronagh McAllister, a fourth grader at Waynewood Elementary School in Fairfax County, was given several suspensions in January for not wearing a mask in class.

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Fairfax County Public Schools released the following statement to FOX 5:

"FCPS requires everyone, regardless of vaccination status to wear masks inside our buildings and on our school buses, except when alone in a room. This includes staff, students and visitors.

We are required under Virginia law (Senate Bill 1303) to follow CDC guidance to the maximum extent practicable. Current CDC guidance for K-12 education is universal masking. This approach enables us to keep our schools safe for all students, including our most vulnerable, and open for five days of in-person learning per week.

We are working with families to do everything we can to work through their concerns. We are aware we have multiple needs in our schools, including immunocompromised students and staff.

We need to continue to protect and serve everyone in our FCPS community."

Fairfax County Public Schools says 26 students out of the 180,000 in the school community went without mask last week. Some were issued daily suspensions will others opted to put on their masks.

Loudoun County Public Schools says 29 of their over 82,000 students were suspended this week for refusing to comply with COVID-19 protocols.

School boards across Virginia have refused to implement an executive order from new Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that not only overturns a statewide mask mandate, but also bars local jurisdictions from imposing a mandate on students.

Virginia candidate for Delegate Richard Hayden will join the family in protest today outside the school.