SUFFOLK, Va. — Author's note: The video above is on file from a separate story that aired on January 20, 2022.
Suffolk City Public Schools formally announced that all students, staff and visitors will continue to be required to wear a mask when on school property or using school-sponsored transportation.
They are one of several school divisions across Hampton Roads that have decided to keep their mask guidelines in place, despite newly-inaugurated Governor Glenn Youngkin's executive order that makes masks optional for students across the Commonwealth starting January 24.
The school boards of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Poquoson voted in line with Youngkin's order.
However, the executive order has already begun to face backlash, with parents of students in Chesapeake Public Schools filing a lawsuit against Youngkin's order. It will be heard by the Virginia Supreme Court.
Virginia's new Attorney General Jason Miyares intends to ask the Court to dismiss the lawsuit.
School board policy that was implemented by Suffolk Public Schools on January 20 states that the division "will adhere to Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations regarding universal indoor masking for all students (ages 2 and older) regardless of vaccination status."