Education Dept. Announces Civil Rights Investigations Into 5 States' Mask Mandate Bans
3 years, 3 months ago

Education Dept. Announces Civil Rights Investigations Into 5 States' Mask Mandate Bans

NPR  

Announces Civil Rights Investigations Into 5 States' Mask Mandate Bans Enlarge this image toggle caption John Partipilo/AP John Partipilo/AP The U.S. Department of Education sent a warning to five states on Monday that their statewide bans on mask mandates, including in schools, could violate students' civil rights. Sponsor Message Federal law "guarantees qualified students with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education in elementary and secondary school," Goldberg wrote in each of the letters. If the Education Department ultimately finds that these mask mandate bans do run afoul of federal civil rights law, it could threaten to withhold federal funding, though, on a recent appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, Cardona conceded that this was less than ideal. In a statement to NPR, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, an elected Republican, said she supports the investigation: "Regrettably, we are not surprised by this civil rights investigation spurred by passage of a state law prohibiting mask requirements in Oklahoma public schools.

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History of this topic

Federal lawsuit challenges mask ban in suburban New York county, claims law is discriminatory
4 months ago

Federal lawsuit challenges mask ban in suburban New York county, claims law is discriminatory

Associated Press  

MINEOLA, N.Y. — A disability rights organization is challenging a suburban New York ban on wearing masks in public except for health and religious reasons, arguing it is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities. “This mask ban poses a direct threat to public health and discriminates against people with disabilities.” Timothy A. Clune, executive director of the rights organization, …

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal court on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge to Iowa Gov. The ruling marks the conclusion of the yearslong court battle, originating in the fall of 2021 with a lawsuit alleging that Reynolds violated federal disability law by preventing schools from adopting mask mandates as an accommodation for students with disabilities. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU …

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise

Associated Press  

The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant …

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week
2 years, 9 months ago

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week

CNN  

CNN — New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Counties and cities that have a higher rate of Covid-19 transmission have the “flexibility” to keep the mask requirement in schools, Hochul said, and parents and guardians may still send their children to school in masks. “If we see no unforeseen spikes …

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday that allows parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates. Youngkin had campaigned on rolling back Virginia’s Covid-19 restrictions and giving parents more agency in their children’s education, but the order he signed on his first day in office was met with lawsuits from Virginia school districts …

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends
2 years, 10 months ago

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends

CNN  

CNN — Just one day before California is set to relax a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated people in indoor public spaces, the state’s top health official announced that masks will still be required in schools. There will be no change to the school requirement, Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced at a press conference Monday. …

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement
2 years, 10 months ago

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement

Associated Press  

Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education on Thursday to stop requiring face coverings in schools. “A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” the Republican governor wrote in a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president. “If these trends are not reversed …

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon
2 years, 10 months ago

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon

Salon  

As U.S. omicron case numbers drop from their January peak, some states with in-person instruction have started to drop their mask mandates for schools. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, agreed that it's too early for schools to lift their mask mandates. Blumberg noted that …

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle
2 years, 10 months ago

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

Associated Press  

As some of the last statewide mask mandates in the U.S. near an end, decisions about whether students and teachers should continue to wear masks in school are shifting to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most combustible issues of the pandemic. If the decision had to be made right away, he said, his …

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools
2 years, 10 months ago

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools

Al Jazeera  

School board meeting have devolved into shouting matches and arrests over whether masks should be worn. “We can’t allow those individual passions to decide the debate.” The issue of masks in schools has been so contentious in much of the country that school board meetings have devolved into shouting matches and arrests, superintendents have seen protesters outside their homes, and …

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. Phil Murphy called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids” and said individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks after …

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate
2 years, 11 months ago

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate

Al Jazeera  

The mandate had been issued by governor after Kathy Hochul declared state of emergency amid Omicron spread. A New York state judge has struck down a mandate that required the wearing of masks in public places as a COVID-19 precaution, ruling the governor overstepped her authority in imposing the restriction. In the ruling on Monday, Judge Thomas Rademaker of New …

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools
3 years ago

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — An appeals court on Wednesday halted a federal judge’s order that had stopped Texas from enforcing its ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools, allowing the prohibition to remain in effect. In granting the stay, the appeals court said that Paxton would likely win in his appeal, the students represented by Disability Rights Texas likely do not …

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools
3 years, 1 month ago

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools

The Independent  

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SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say
3 years, 3 months ago

SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the South Carolina Supreme Court mulls the legality of a state rule that effectively bans masks in most schools, health care workers and educators are renewing calls for state lawmakers to repeal the provision altogether. Pediatricians and school nurses joined state education groups at a news conference Tuesday to warn that lawmakers’ inaction will only continue …

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit
3 years, 3 months ago

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit

Associated Press  

South Carolina officials who have been sued over a law banning school districts from issuing face mask mandates say that they should be removed from pending litigation. In papers filed last week, attorneys for McMaster — a Republican who has said repeatedly that parents alone should decide if children wear masks in schools — argued that the ACLU and its …

Court: DeSantis ban on school mask mandates back in force
3 years, 3 months ago

Court: DeSantis ban on school mask mandates back in force

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw said in a tweet that the appeals court decision means “the rule requiring ALL Florida school districts to protect parents’ rights to make choices about masking kids is BACK in effect!” The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it has begun a new grant …

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal
3 years, 3 months ago

Court sides with Florida’s Ron DeSantis and reinstates school mask mandate ban pending appeal

The Independent  

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Judge: Florida can’t enforce ban on school mask mandates
3 years, 3 months ago

Judge: Florida can’t enforce ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that the state cannot enforce a ban on public schools mandating the use of masks to guard against the coronavirus, while an appeals court sorts out whether the ban is ultimately legal. Ron DeSantis and state education officials exceeded their authority by imposing the blanket ban through executive order and tagging …

Florida school mask debate headed for appeals court battle
3 years, 3 months ago

Florida school mask debate headed for appeals court battle

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The battle over mask requirements to guard against coronavirus in Florida schools headed for a new legal phase Friday following an appeal by Republican Gov. Jacob Oliva, public schools chancellor at the state Department of Education, said in a notice Thursday to local superintendents that “enforcement must cease if the stay is lifted.” Under the DeSantis …

Oklahoma school mask mandate ban blocked, exemptions a must
3 years, 3 months ago

Oklahoma school mask mandate ban blocked, exemptions a must

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily block a state law banning public school mask mandates, but students or their parents can opt out of the requirement if they choose. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined …

State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries
3 years, 3 months ago

State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries

Associated Press  

The Education Department on Monday opened civil rights investigations into five Republican-led states that have banned or limited mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions. In its letters, the department said it’s concerned that the states “may be preventing schools from making individualized assessments about mask use so that …

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates
3 years, 3 months ago

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates

NPR  

Florida Judge Throws Out Gov. Ron DeSantis' Order Prohibiting School Mask Mandates Enlarge this image toggle caption Marta Lavandier/AP Marta Lavandier/AP A Florida judge has ruled that school districts in the state can require students to wear masks. Judge John Cooper ruled on a lawsuit brought by parents who say DeSantis overstepped his authority when his administration said school districts …

Judge rules against Florida Gov. DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools
3 years, 3 months ago

Judge rules against Florida Gov. DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools

CNN  

Miami CNN — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools will not remain in place, Leon County’s 2nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Cooper ruled Friday. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts – frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented.” The ruling comes after a …

Masks required by some schools in defiance of the state rule
3 years, 4 months ago

Masks required by some schools in defiance of the state rule

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A growing number of school districts in South Carolina are defying a provision from state lawmakers banning mandatory face coverings for students. Many districts remain afraid that the General Assembly will withhold state budget money if they defy the order that was passed mostly along party lines in June, when the state was seeing 20 times fewer …

Two Florida counties double down on school mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Two Florida counties double down on school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Florida’s Broward and Alachua counties are not backing down on mask mandates in schools, despite Gov. More than 14,000 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Florida’s 15 largest school districts since the start of the school year – 11,851 students and 2,610 school employees, according to a CNN analysis. More than 360 students and over 16 faculty and …

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says
3 years, 4 months ago

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says

NPR  

Schools Blocking Mask Mandates Could Face Civil Rights Probes, Official Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Department of Education is preparing its Office of Civil Rights to investigate schools that have blocked school mask mandates and other efforts to try to keep students and educators safe from COVID-19. Republican-led states like …

Florida Board of Education orders Broward, Alachua counties to allow mask opt-out in 48 hours or start losing funding
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida Board of Education orders Broward, Alachua counties to allow mask opt-out in 48 hours or start losing funding

CNN  

CNN — The Florida State Board of Education has sent an order to Broward and Alachua counties’ school board officials stating that they have 48 hours to comply with the state’s wishes to allow an opt-out option for masks or the state will begin withholding funds, according to copies of the orders shown to CNN. The State Board of Education …

States banning mask mandates could face civil rights probes
3 years, 4 months ago

States banning mask mandates could face civil rights probes

Associated Press  

In an escalating battle with Republican governors, President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students against COVID-19. In an announcement on its website, the Education Department said policies that ban mask mandates could amount to discrimination if …

AG says 7 counties, 48 school districts mandating masks
3 years, 4 months ago

AG says 7 counties, 48 school districts mandating masks

Associated Press  

Seven counties and 48 school districts have imposed masking and social distancing requirements, the Texas Attorney General’s Office reported Wednesday. Most county and school district masking and social distancing mandates involved urban centers and their suburbs, although a handful involved small-town districts. Nueces County and eight school districts — the Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Coppell and Cedar Hill districts in …

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates

NPR  

In Florida, Texas And Arizona, Defiant School Leaders Are Sticking With Mask Mandates Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris O'Meara/AP Chris O'Meara/AP Across the country, as students and teachers head back into school buildings in the midst of a COVID-19 surge, school superintendents in Florida, Texas and Arizona are standing firm against state leaders who say masks shouldn't be mandated …

DA won’t prosecute for governor’s student mask opt-out order
3 years, 4 months ago

DA won’t prosecute for governor’s student mask opt-out order

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An order by the Tennessee governor letting parents opt their children out of following mask rules at school has drawn defiance from officials in Memphis and Nashville, including a pledge Tuesday from Nashville’s district attorney not to prosecute teachers and school officials for flouting the carveout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk offered his …

Despite Texas high court ruling, some mask mandates remain
3 years, 4 months ago

Despite Texas high court ruling, some mask mandates remain

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Some Texas cities, counties and school districts remained defiant Monday and kept in place mandates requiring students and others to wear facial coverings despite rulings a day earlier by the Texas Supreme Court halting mask mandates in two of the state’s largest counties. The Austin school district and Harris County, where Houston is located and which is the …

Florida state school board takes steps against two districts over mask mandates
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida state school board takes steps against two districts over mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Florida’s State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday at an emergency meeting to recommend investigations into two school districts whose mask mandates defy Gov. Ron DeSantis Joe Raedle/Getty Images The board authorized the state education commissioner “to take all legal steps” against Alachua and Broward counties for requiring people in their school districts to wear masks. Florida Education …

Judge: Phoenix district can keep mask rule, at least for now
3 years, 4 months ago

Judge: Phoenix district can keep mask rule, at least for now

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A metro Phoenix school district can keep its mask requirement for now, despite a new state law barring such mandates, a judge ruled Monday. Warner said the new law surrounding school mask mandates doesn’t take effect until Sept. 29, rejecting Hester’s claim that the statute has been in force since the Legislature approved it in late June. Warner …

In Florida and Texas, mask orders turn schools into battlegrounds
3 years, 4 months ago

In Florida and Texas, mask orders turn schools into battlegrounds

LA Times  

Kindergarten student Taiden Watkins reads a book Tuesday, the first day of school at Washington Elementary in Riviera Beach, Fla. Carlee Simon, the superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools in Florida, looked forward to welcoming students to the new school year — one in which they would not be required to wear masks and could, at last, see one another’s …

As some parents protest school mask mandates, experts urge students to keep face coverings on
3 years, 4 months ago

As some parents protest school mask mandates, experts urge students to keep face coverings on

LA Times  

A handful of parents in Chino took to the streets to protest against the recent mask mandate for schools in the Chino Valley Unified School District. “Combining layers of protection that include vaccinations, masking and clean hands hygiene will make in-person learning safe and possible for everyone.” Parents in the Chino Valley Unified School District received a notification last week …

Parents, physicians sue over Oklahoma mask mandate ban
3 years, 4 months ago

Parents, physicians sue over Oklahoma mask mandate ban

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Parents of schoolchildren joined the Oklahoma State Medical Association on Thursday in filing a lawsuit seeking to overturn a state law banning mask requirements in public schools. “This is not a political stance; it is about public health and common sense,” medical association President Dr. Mary Clarke said in a statement. “We must do everything we can …

Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states
3 years, 4 months ago

Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Top Republicans are battling school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school — reigniting ideological divides over mandates even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most unvaccinated parts of the nation. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a letter to …

Defiance of Texas ban on mask mandates continues to grow
3 years, 4 months ago

Defiance of Texas ban on mask mandates continues to grow

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates continued Wednesday as more Texas school districts and communities announced plans to require students to wear face coverings and another county scored a legal victory in its efforts to issue such mandates amid a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the state. Late Wednesday, officials in Fort Bend County, located …

Oklahoma City public charter school plans to defy mask ban
3 years, 4 months ago

Oklahoma City public charter school plans to defy mask ban

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — The superintendent of a public charter school in Oklahoma City said Wednesday that students and staff must begin wearing masks indoors, defying a new state law that prohibits such a mandate. Superintendent Chris Brewster at Santa Fe South Schools, a 3,500-student, pre-K through 12 district in south Oklahoma City, also said in a letter on the district’s …

Schools fight back against GOP governors, defy bans on masks
3 years, 4 months ago

Schools fight back against GOP governors, defy bans on masks

Associated Press  

SALT LAKE CITY — With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states. “At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my …

Florida's Governor Says School Leaders' Salary May Be Withheld If They Require Masks
3 years, 4 months ago

Florida's Governor Says School Leaders' Salary May Be Withheld If They Require Masks

NPR  

Florida's Governor Says School Leaders' Salary May Be Withheld If They Require Masks Enlarge this image toggle caption Rick Bowmer/AP Rick Bowmer/AP As the majority of Florida's K-12 schools prepare to reopen campuses at full capacity this week — many of them on Tuesday — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state Board of Education could withhold pay from school …

Arkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban
3 years, 4 months ago

Arkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban

Associated Press  

— An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates after lawmakers left the prohibition in place despite a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The Marion School District, which joined with Little Rock’s schools in challenging the ban, on Friday said 949 staff and students have had to quarantine since classes …

Bans on mask mandates by GOP governors are being successfully challenged in court
3 years, 4 months ago

Bans on mask mandates by GOP governors are being successfully challenged in court

Salon  

An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its recently-passed ban on school mask mandates, defying the state's governor and GOP-led legislature – both of whom have fought tirelessly against COVID health precautions. Ron DeSantis had vehemently fought mask mandates in the state's public school system, issuing an executive order last Friday to ban them. Adducing Florida's …

Arkansas judge temporarily blocks state law banning mask mandates in schools
3 years, 4 months ago

Arkansas judge temporarily blocks state law banning mask mandates in schools

CNN  

CNN — An Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state’s law banning mask mandates in schools on Friday in response to lawsuits filed by a school district and parents who want schools to be able to require masks if they choose to. “While the Arkansas General Assembly did not amend Act 1002, my objective has been achieved by …

Arizona doctors urge governor to require masks in schools
3 years, 4 months ago

Arizona doctors urge governor to require masks in schools

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — More than 150 Arizona doctors on Thursday urged Gov. Doug Ducey to mandate masks in public schools, dialing up pressure as coronavirus cases rise and a growing number of school districts require their staff and students to mask up in defiance of a new state law. “Your prohibition on mask requirements means no Arizona school can provide a …

Rural school board suspended over New Mexico’s mask mandate
3 years, 4 months ago

Rural school board suspended over New Mexico’s mask mandate

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A rural New Mexico school board was suspended by the state Public Education Department on Wednesday for not going along with Gov. The five-member Floyd school board voted last week to make masks and social distancing optional and reaffirmed the decision in another vote Monday despite warnings from state officials that they could face suspension or other …

Students Need To Be In Classrooms, With Masks, This Fall, Education Secretary Says
3 years, 4 months ago

Students Need To Be In Classrooms, With Masks, This Fall, Education Secretary Says

NPR  

Students Need To Be In Classrooms, With Masks, This Fall, Education Secretary Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has a message for schools across the country ahead of the new school year: Students need to be in classrooms. The roadmap also …

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