Two parent advocacy groups announced Thursday they are suing Gov. Gavin Newsom and health department officials over the statewide mandate that children in schools must wear masks regardless of vaccination status.
Let Them Breathe is one of the groups that initiated the lawsuit. The group's founder, Sharon McKeeman, says that state officials are ignoring the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reopen California Schools is the other group involved in the lawsuit. The Sacramento Bee quotes founder Jonathan Zachreson of Roseville as saying, “A return to a normal school year is crucial to the mental and physical health recovery for students across California who have endured months of isolation and a majority of who spent last school year entirely in distance learning.”
The California Department of Public Health’s July guidance for K-12 schools requires mask-wearing by staff and students but leaves enforcement up to local school districts. Some small districts have already said they will not enforce the mandate.
The parents groups say they want kids to have a choice. Their lawsuit calls the state’s mandate arbitrary and not based on scientific evidence.
However, children under 12 have not yet been approved for the vaccine, meaning masks provide them the most protection against coronavirus.
Despite the fact that many children can not receive a vaccine, one parent at a rally said she’s done.
“This past year, it’s been detrimental to my kids. I have four kids, 14, 11, 7 and 5, and it has affected all of them in all different ways,” she said.
“I can't do it anymore.”
School officials say they are following the best medical advice when they ask students to mask.
“I think all of us would love to be in an environment where we didn’t have to wear a mask,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond told KNX.
“But every scientist, every physician, every medical person with knowledge has told us these are the mitigations we can provide to keep everyone safe.”
Los Angeles County is currently seeing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends face masks in schools for the 2021-2022 year.
Thurmond says the best way to bring an end to the mask mandate is for everyone to get vaccinated.