A Republican lawmaker wants to ban public schools and universities from requiring masks.
Senate Bill 209, introduced last week by Powell Sen. Andrew Brenner, would prevent public schools and universities from requiring students, staff or visitors to wear masks while in class, at school-sponsored sports or during extracurricular activities.
Many Ohio schools are already making masks optional, but COVID-19 vaccines aren't available to children younger than 12. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued recommendations Monday for the upcoming school year that include everyone older than age 2 wearing masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Local health boards could still take action to prevent the spread of disease, Brenner said.
"This is a good next step because the bill is designed for local health departments to make the decision versus local school boards," Brenner said.
More: COVID set to resurge in Ohio unless more are vaccinated
Brenner's proposed ban on mask mandates at schools won't be in place before the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Ohio lawmakers aren't meeting to pass legislation until September and any changes would need 90 days to take effect.
The bill does not apply to private schools or hospitals associated with public universities, such as Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.
The proposal would also require that businesses that choose to require masks post notice in a conspicuous place. That notice must include an exemption for someone with a documented medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask.
The proposal comes after Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 244, which included language that prevents public schools and universities from requiring COVID-19 vaccines because they were approved for emergency use authorization, a rigorous process that's short of full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
More:Gov. DeWine signs bill to ban requiring COVID-19 vaccine at Ohio public schools, universities
DeWine signed the bill with the expectation that the language would be moot. He expects the FDA to fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines before the law takes effect in 90 days. And he said Friday schools and universities "have every right" to require vaccines before the law takes effect.
In Ohio, five colleges plan to require COVID-19 vaccines and four of them are private ones not affected by the new law. Cleveland State University's vaccine requirement for on-campus students will remain until the law takes effect.
Masks became a political flashpoint during the COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic lawmakers tried to require them at the Ohio Statehouse after two colleagues were hospitalized. Some Republican legislators tried to ban them entirely.
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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