Pennsylvania school boards, including Hempfield, consider joining mask mandate lawsuits – By Megan Tomasic (Tribe Live) / Sept 26 2021
Another year of traversing a landscape impacted by covid-19 has some school administrators seemingly gearing up to push back against pandemic-related mandates.
A state-issued mask mandate for K-12 schools that went into effect early this month spurred several lawsuits that were filed across Pennsylvania by parents and lawmakers. The suits have caught the attention of Hempfield Area School Board members, who expressed interest last week in joining a pending suit or filing their own against the mandate.
Suits working their way through the courts largely question whether Alison Beam, Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary, has the authority to issue the mandate. The decision by the state to require face coverings came after several districts had begun the school year and after state officials said the decision on masking would be left to school boards.
“They can file suits and express their concerns in a court of law about what they think is incorrect or what they think is correct,” Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said of school boards filing suits.
