Virginia's new law banning mask mandates in schools isn't optional, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears says. 

Schools are “not going to be able" to require students to continue wearing masks, Sears said during an interview Thursday with "The Daily Signal Podcast." 

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday that, as of March 1, will prohibit schools across the commonwealth from requiring the wearing of masks because of COVID-19. Although many school districts across the country have ended mask mandates, several counties in Northern Virginia have opted to continue masking children. 

Schools have to "allow the parents the opportunity to decide for themselves whether their children will wear a mask," Sears says in the podcast interview.

Youngkin and Sears, both Republicans, were sworn in Jan. 15 for four-year terms after winning Virginia's Nov. 2 election.

During the campaign, the two committed to returning power to parents in the education of children. On the podcast, Sears discusses why she and Youngkin stand against critical race theory and other far-left policies that have affected children across the state. 

We also cover these stories:

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that the world is in a "moment of peril" because of Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. 
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, sues the Biden administration over mask mandates for air travel. 
• A local Black Lives Matter chapter in Kentucky pays the $100,000 bond of the man charged with trying to assassinate a candidate for Louisville mayor. 

Enjoy the show!

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