Virginians know that the practice of silencing parents, the era of divisive partisan politics and the time for statewide mandates are over. The long-term effects of the coronavirus on our youngest generation cannot be ignored. While some children have endured the pandemic adequately, that is not the case for all children. Too many fell behind because classrooms were locked down for too long. Students have been under tremendous stress, and symptoms of anxiety and depression have doubled.

For the sake of our future generations, we need to recognize the potentially damaging impacts of mask-wearing on some children. Experts suggest masks can hide visual cues, hinder emotion recognition and reduce students’ abilities to hear teachers clearly. Studies also indicate that masks worn in public settings, school or day care might impact a range of early developmental and processing skills.

If November’s election made one thing clear, it’s that too many bureaucrats and politicians had stopped listening to parents. Those parents shared with me the concern that the cold halls of government are disconnected from the reality they face every day. Allowing parents to decide whether their children wear masks reflects that reality.