The New Hampshire House narrowly passed a bill that would bar local school districts from requiring students or the general public to wear face masks on school property.
Before Thursday's 187-to-184 vote, which fell along near party lines, Republican Rep. Kristin Noble of Bedford told colleagues that masking had hurt students during the COVID pandemic.
“School mask mandates had a negative impact on our children and did not provide an environment that is conducive to learning," Noble said.
But critics, like Sunapee Democratic Rep. Hope Damon, said districts need flexibility to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
"We need to continue to allow our local elected school boards the freedom to respond to health emergencies according to the needs of their local communities," Damon said.
New Hampshire lawmakers passed a similar bill in 2022, which Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed on the grounds that it undermined local control.
“Decisions like this are best left to authorities closest to parents and families, where they can work with their neighbors to decide what is right for their children,” Sununu said in that veto message.
At the height of the COVID pandemic, local school districts in New Hampshire adopted widely different approaches to masking for their students and faculty. Some school boards mandated masks, based on guidance from health officials. Others did not require masks at all, in part responding to concerns from some parents who opposed mask mandates.
By early 2022, Sununu and other state officials were urging schools to “transition their policies away from mask mandates.”
