Missouri School District Mask Mandate Targeted in Class Action Lodged by State AG

Missouri School District Mask Mandate Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: The State of Missouri filed a class action lawsuit against Columbia Public Schools.
• Why: Attorney General Eric Schmitt claims a mask mandate put in place by Columbia Public Schools is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unreasonable.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in a Missouri Circuit Court. 

A Missouri school district mask mandate is unlawful, unconstitutional, arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable, according to a class action lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general. 

The lawsuit is targeting a mask requirement issued by Columbia Public Schools, located two hours west of St. Louis. The State of Missouri claims such mask mandates are not backed by science and that “the cure should not be worse than the disease.” 

Led by Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the state says it wants to “protect the welfare of Missouri’s children and the liberty and constitutional rights of the people of Missouri,” with the class action lawsuit. 

Missouri School District Mask Mandate

Columbia Public Schools imposed a mask mandate for its school buildings and busses despite the Columbia City Council voting to reject a citywide mask mandate, according to the class action lawsuit.

The imposed Missouri school district mask mandate is subject to the requirements of a state statute governing public health orders, which means it needs to receive a majority vote by the Board of Education for the School District of Columbia to remain in effect, according to the class action lawsuit. The State also claims the laws of the statute dictate the mask mandate can be terminated at any time by a majority vote from the school district’s governing body. 

Mask use by children is detrimental to the development of their communication skills and can cause headaches, fatigue, impair learning, and lead to difficulty concentrating and less happiness, alleges the Missouri school district mask mandate class action lawsuit. 

Parents, meanwhile, should have the responsibility to make healthcare decisions for their children and should have the freedom to choose whether or not their child wears a mask, claims the complaint. 

Children are at low risk of spreading, getting sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19, argues the class action lawsuit. Masks, at the same time, fail to provide adequate protection from the virus and only offer a false sense of security.

The Missouri school district did not consider any scientific evidence or underlying data and failed to justify the validity of the mask mandate, the class action lawsuit alleges.

The Missouri school district mask mandate class action lawsuit is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and for the court to declare the mask mandate is either subject to the Missouri public health order statute or unlawful. 

A similar class action lawsuit was filed earlier this month by parents alleging a mask mandate put in place by the Clark County School District is illegal and unconstitutional. At the same time, a group of Utah parents lodged a lawsuit against the state for banning school district mask mandates, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. 

Do you agree with the mask mandate put in place by Columbia Public School? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by D. John Sauer, Jeff P. Johnson, and Michael E. Talent of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

The Missouri Mask Mandate Class Action Lawsuit is Missouri v. Columbia Public Schools et al., Case No. unknown, in the Circuit Court of Boone County for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri. 

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