BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Lancaster Central Schools is being sued by the parents of two students, who had difficulty breathing on Monday due to the requirement they had to wear a mask while in school.
The daughter of Maria Hunter texted her mother that morning to say she was feeling faint and had difficulty breathing through her mask. The girl also said she was feeling anxious and was going to throw up.
According to the lawsuit, the girl was in a second-floor classroom at Lancaster Middle School with no fans running and no air conditioning. She went to the nurse's office where she received an inhaler to improve her health. Maria Hunter picked her up from the school.
In a separate incident that same day, Hunter's son, who also suffers from asthma, attended gym class in the morning and played football outside, where he began to feel unwell but continued to play. After class, the boy went to lunch, where he did not have to wear a mask, but was still not feeling well.
After lunch, the boy put his mask back on but went into a warm classroom where the lawsuit claims there was no air conditioning, open windows, or any fans other than one for the teacher. The boy was escorted to the nurse's office but told he had to put his mask on, despite having difficulties breathing.
Maria and her husband, Willard, arrived at the school while their son was being treated. Paramedics were called and the boy was taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with asthma exacerbation and was later discharged shortly after 6 p.m.
Both children were kept out of school on Tuesday because of what happened Monday.
Maria Hunter called the principals of her children's respective schools and asked if they could return to school without masks due to their asthma. The principal of the daughter's school allegedly said she could not return to school without a mask unless she had a doctor's note saying she needed a medical exemption from mask usage and was able to work out a solution with the school nurse.
The principal of William Street School, where Maria's son goes, did not return Maria's call.
Lancaster Central Schools did not respond to our messages for comment on the lawsuit.
The Hunters want a court to allow the district to let their kids return to school without a mask. They also want a judge to rule that the district's refusal to allow the children to return to school without masks to be arbitrary and capricious.
