Loophole allows some Pennsylvania students to avoid masking
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, MARK SCOLFORO and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A loophole in Pennsylvania’s new mask mandate for schools is allowing untold numbers of students to go to class without having to cover their faces. The state health secretary’s order requiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school and child care facilities took effect Tuesday. It includes an exemption for students who claim it would cause or worsen a medical condition. But the masking order does not require a student to produce a doctor’s note or other supporting medical documentation. Now some school boards that oppose the statewide mandate are allowing students to come to class unmasked with just a parent’s signature.