JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) - If your child's school is enforcing students or staff to wear a face mask or to follow other local COVID-19 public health orders, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt says he wants to know about it.
He says he wants to "empower" parents and is encouraging them to send photos, video, documents and other proof if their school district is continuing to enforce mask mandates, quarantines, and other similar COVID-19 public health orders, in violation of a recent Cole County order.
"Parents are sick and tired of the stonewalling from their school districts, and so am I," Schmitt says.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled last month that public health orders such as quarantines and business closures violate the Missouri Constitution’s separation of powers clause affecting the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. Schmitt stated he was aware of the ruling and is "prepared to enforce compliance" across the state.
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Schmitt says he sent a letter to all school districts about the order on Tuesday.
“I informed local public health authorities and school districts about the recent judgment in Cole County Circuit Court that declares public health orders issued by local public health authorities and school districts null and void and instructing those health authorities and school districts to rescind those orders and cease enforcement and publicizing of those orders," Schmitt says. "Since then, we’ve heard from parents that school districts are continuing to enforce mask mandates and quarantine orders, in violation of the recent Cole County order."
Here's the letter he sent to schools:
He says parents can send information about school districts and "voice their concerns freely" by sending an email to illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov, for
Last week, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page blasted Green's order and says his public face mask order still stands.
“The latest challenge came last week when an elected Republican judge. A politician that must run for reelection in a rural Trump-loving county entered a ruling about masks in a friendly-fire lawsuit between radical anti-maskers and the attorney general," Page said. "Even though St. Louis County was never a party in the case, or even asked to provide its position, the judge declared all of our public health orders invalid. How a judge can do that will be for the lawyers and the bar to figure out. But we know it is a dangerous ruling. We know it undermines our strong COVID policies and we are starting to understand how it may impact our other health policies."
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