South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Won't 'Mandate Masks' For Students Amid Pandemic

Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wants schools to reopen in the fall, and if she has things her way, students won’t be forced to wear masks.

During an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Noem revealed that she is working to ensure that children won’t miss out on the benefits of learning in a classroom amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our kids are going to be back in school in South Dakota. Every school district will make a decision that works for their facilities and kids as to what that looks like,” she said in a tweet that accompanied the video interview.

During the conversation, Noem also suggested that forcing children to wear masks could increase the rate of infection. The governor claimed that children tend to touch their masks and drop them on the floor, which could spread the coronavirus.

“I’m not going to mandate masks,” Noem added in her tweet. “Kids tend to play with their masks and touch them frequently.”

Noem also revealed that she spoke with "parents of diverse backgrounds" who she claims were in favor of the relaxed mask requirement because their children wouldn’t sit with a mask on for the entire school day.

Noem’s comments follow her post on Twitter on Tuesday in which she claimed she had conversations with members of the community who supported school reopenings amid the pandemic.

“This morning, I had the opportunity to meet with both parents and school administrators. We discussed what back to school will look like, and everyone was on the same page that our kids need to be back in classrooms,” she tweeted.

While Noem stated that she wouldn’t order students to wear masks during the school year, she will reportedly leave it to the local school boards to make the final decision regarding their COVID-19 safety regulations.