UPDATE: March 2, 3:49 p.m.
The same federal judge who ruled on the Perkiomen Valley School District mask mandate in February is again saying the district must continue the mandate, at least through March 11.
Original story
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal judge is telling a Montgomery County school district to put the masks back on.
In a 60-page opinion, Judge Wendy Beetlestone sides with the families of three students who argued that lifting the universal mask mandate in the Perkiomen Valley School District violated the Americans with Disabilities Act — specifically, the deprivation of education amid what the judge calls a “heightened risk of serious illness or death.”
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The Perkiomen Valley School Board had voted to make masks optional, not required, beginning Jan. 24, but the families of those three students filed a federal suit.
The students have asthmas and related health issues, according to their families. The suit said the children could not safely attend school if masks weren’t required.
A temporary restraining order issued earlier this week, which required masks in all Perkiomen Valley school buildings and at all activities, was set to expire on Tuesday.
In her opinion, Beetlestone writes, “Plaintiffs have provided evidence showing optional masking policies increase the rate of transmission of COVID-19 and thus the likelihood the will become infected and suffer serious illness or worse.”
The judge heard hours of testimony on Friday, when lawyers for the families pointed to masking recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health. Beetlestone ultimately agreed that universal masking is part of a layered approach to limiting or reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Officials from the school district also testified on Friday, explaining how the district was moving away from universal masking as there’s growing evidence that the value of masks is decreasing as vaccination rates climb and student mental health concerns soar.
In a statement, Perkiomen Valley Superintendent Dr. Barbara Russell said the court's decision "directs the district to continue with universal masking during the school day while offering those inside any of our facilities after school during athletics, music ensembles, clubs, committee meetings, Community Education, etc., to follow a strongly recommended guideline for masking. We will continue to seek the earliest appropriate relief from the current universal mask requirement while upholding guidelines that support the health and safety of all students and staff."
Perkiomen Valley has a scheduled board meeting Monday evening, where the next steps are likely to be discussed.