ST. LOUIS – After suing to stop the mask mandate in St. Louis County, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is taking aim at public schools.
He’s filed a new class-action suit saying masks do not stop the spread of the coronavirus among children.
“This doesn’t ban masks,” said Schmitt, a Republican, who is also a candidate for the United States Senate. “This is about returning that decision-making power to families.”
The suit says mask mandates for kids “are not supported by science.”
It says that kids in masks report “impaired learning” and that mask-wearing is “detrimental to communication skills” at a key point in child development.
It also alleges that children generally “do not spread the virus even in school settings.”
Related Story: Biden finds Missouri challenge to school mask mandates ‘unacceptable,’ White House says
“There have been zero deaths (from COVID-19 in Missouri) under the age of ten. There have been five under the age of 18. That’s a very, very, low risk,” he said.
He also pointed out that under new state law, school boards have to vote on whether to extend mask mandates every 30 days.
He added that districts have mask mandates in place where local governments had already voted them down from St. Louis County to Columbia.
“I have not quite seen anything like this. You’ve seen people showing up at city council meetings, at county council meetings, at school board meetings,” Schmitt said.
“People are able to weigh these risks themselves. We’re going to be living with the Coronavirus for a while. It’s not going away next week.”
Parents picking up their kids from McCluer North High School, Tuesday, did not approve of Schmitt’s attempt to stop mask mandates in schools.
“I think it’s horrible. They should definitely be wearing masks right now,” said Adrienne Harris, a mother.
“I think they should definitely be wearing masks right now,” said Misha Hubbard, a mother.
The Ferguson-Florissant School District, which includes McCluer North, issued the following statement:
“Universal masking is part of our mitigation plan to help keep our schools and school community safe. Masks offer an added layer of protection in providing a safe learning environment for students and staff. Our goal is to keep students in school five days a week safely. This measure increases the safety of our entire school community.”
A similar suit led to a court injunction against the St. Louis County mask mandate.
Schmitt is asking a judge to extend his suit filed in Boone County against Columbia, Missouri, schools to all districts in the state.
Only about 10%, nearly 50 districts total, had mask mandates, he said.
“St. Louis City which has a mask requirement, their cases are up 11%. St. Louis County, we’ve been successful in beating back that mask requirement, their cases are down 18%. If you follow the facts and follow the science, I think people can make their own decisions,” Schmitt said.
“It certainly doesn’t justify the government forcing masks for five-year-olds.”
He expects a Boone County judge to take up the case next month.
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“This doesn’t ban masks,” said Schmitt, a Republican, who is also a candidate for the United States Senate. “This is about returning that decision-making power to families.”
He is exactly right and I wish him much success as he goes forward.
I hope he wins too.. BUT after seeing the sheer # of hack leftist commucrat judges, say “we don’t have standing to sue” for MANY of these damnable mandates, i fear what courts out there in the Formerly (supposed) red state of Missouri, will wind up getting tossed.. “For lack of standing”.
In a nation of free citizen’s…the government has NO business playing mother may I…period!
Can you imagine the outrage if someone said “LETS apply all these laws against the 2nd amendment, TO ALSO APPLY TO VOTING..”
1) you must pass a backround check to Register to vote
2) you must be 21
3) you must complete X amount of mandatory training (like a # of states do to get a gun permit)
4) you have to ASK PERMISSION to get a permit, which can be denyed for ANY REASON what so bloody ever
AND SEE HOW MANY LIBERALS would scream bloody murder at that.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt you are a hero of mine. You are a “man of science”, unlike Dr. Fauci and Dr. Walensky, who are both frauds.
Finally a lawyer who knows one or two things from science classes. Too bad the same can’t be said about Federal “officials”. Science is a foreign word to the whole cabal.
They are the same one, who’s science says “there are 75+ Genders”.