HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (PNN) - December 11, 2021 - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Friday affirmed a Commonwealth Court decision that said Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam did not have the authority to issue a mask mandate for everyone indoors at schools and childcare centers.

It means, effective immediately, school mask mandates are no longer mandatory, although many schools have a local rule that students who wish to wear a mask may still do so.

The lawsuit was brought by Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Republican who is running for governor. It was filed personally, as a parent, along with other parents, and not as part of a Senate action.

“With today’s ruling, the power for parents and local leaders to make health and safety decisions in our schools is restored,” Corman said in a prepared statement.

“That power comes with an obligation to review the facts and act in the best interests of our communities - which is why legislative leaders sent a letter to Governor Tom Wolf yesterday to reconvene the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. I encourage all stakeholders to review the needs and conditions in our communities to make the best choices for our (children).”

Wolf recently announced he would return masking decisions over to local school leaders on January 17, so some were surprised when the commonwealth’s Department of Health appealed the Commonwealth Court’s decision and continued fighting for the mandatory mask mandate.

While the commonwealth battled in court to keep masks on children, on December 6, educators gathered without students and appeared unconcerned about masking.

Secretary of Education Noe Ortega announced that Elizabeth Raff, an educator at Penn Manor School District in Lancaster County, was named the 2022 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

The announcement was made during the Standards Aligned System Institute, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s annual professional development conference. Photographs from the event, provided by the commonwealth, show teachers and commonwealth employees gathered without social distancing and not wearing masks.

Raff teaches sixth grade English language arts and social studies at Pequea Elementary School. She was chosen from among 12 finalists. She will travel the commonwealth, meet, and collaborate with other educators, and will represent Pennsylvania in next year’s National Teacher of the Year competition.