(WSIL) --Â Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed suit against more than 40 school districts to halt their mask mandate policies.Â
Schmitt and some parents contend that state law does not allow for school boards to impose mask mandates. Some local school officials disagree, saying that recent court rulings that limit local health orders do not apply to school boards.
, the CDC recommended universal masking by all students, staff, teachers and visitors regardless of vaccination status. The CDC also recommends other mitigation efforts like improved ventilation, screening testing and handwashing.
Many of the school districts sued by the attorney general have responded to his lawsuits, decrying the action as a waste of taxpayer money.
Districts that were sued include:Â
Bayless, Jennings, Lexington, Kirkwood, Ritenour, Hancock Place, Special School District of St. Louis, Meramec Valley, University City, Francis Howell, Park Hill, Columbia, Fort Zumwalt, Lee’s Summit, Holden, Affton, Liberty, Jefferson City, St. Charles, Kansas City, Waynesville, Hazelwood, Raytown, Kingsville, Rockwood, Hickman Mills, Ladue, Center, Dunklin R-V, Independence, Lindbergh, Grandview, Fox C-6, North Kansas City, Ferguson-Florissant, Maplewood, Clayton, St. Louis City, Parkway, Brentwood, Valley Park, Pattonville, Webster Groves, Warrensburg, and Mehlville.
“As we’ve made clear from the beginning, the power to make health decisions for their children should be in the hands of parents, not bureaucrats. Today I’m filing nine more lawsuits against school districts that are illegally enforcing mask mandates on schoolchildren,� said Attorney General Schmitt. “Masking children all day in school is ineffective and these endless pandemic restrictions lead to lasting, negative psychological impacts on children and teens. This is a fight worth fighting, and I’m not going to back down.�
