In early February, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore in a letter to Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday asked for the state’s guidance on masks in schools to be changed. On Monday he took to twitter to reaffirm his opinion on masks.

“It’s past time to get back to normal,” said Moore in a tweet. “All local governments and school districts need to end their mask mandates.”

The City of Kinston has a current mask mandate requiring everyone to wear a mask inside of city buildings.

Mayor Dontario Hardy said, "We will be taking the recommendations from the Governor's office and Secretary Kinsley's office here in the very near future."

NC Representative Chris Humphrey shared his opinon on mask mandates. “Parents, not politicians and bureaucrats, should be deciding whether or not their children should be wearing a mask. I’m proud to have voted to unmask our kids last week as the General Assembly passed the Free The Smiles Act with a vote of 76-42, and I call on Governor Cooper to sign our bill into law and end this senseless policy. I stand with parents and reaffirm their right to make healthcare decisions for their children.”

The North Carolina House has passed the Free the Smiles Act in a veto-proof, bipartisan vote of 76-42.

“Those masks should have come off of our students before now,” said NC Senate Majority Whip Jim Perry. “We have had too many who have been either intoxicated with power, or paralyzed by fear. I have seen parents ignored and the true welfare of our students met with disregard. I am confident those issues will be addressed.

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed February 21 - 25, 2022 as Public Schools Week in a show of support for public schools and the educators, counselors, custodians, bus drivers, school nutrition workers. Last last week he encouraged schools and local governments to end their mask mandates

“The Governor chose an arbitrary future date for his recommendation,” said Perry. “A date driven by nothing but political science. It was laughable to read quotes from around our state. On Monday, we read statements indicating it was not yet time. On Thursday, after the Governor spoke, masks started dropping in several counties. Are you really going to try to convince me that was not purely political?”

The Lenoir County Board of Education will convene a called special session to discuss the district's face mask policy on February 22, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.

“If you ask me to choose between any Governor, any School Board and the parents and students in my community - the parents and students are going to win each time,” said Perry.