Parents file lawsuits against 4 Northeast Ohio school districts regarding mask mandates

I don’t know who’s more upset about it. Sharona Hoffman or the school districts. 🤣

News5Cleveland:

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — The school mask mandate debate continues to be a hot topic this year.

It’s become so divisive that some parents have decided to sue their local school districts to force them to change their rules.

Last month, federal lawsuits were filed against four Northeast Ohio districts: Mayfield City School District, Medina City School District, Olmsted Falls City School District, and Cloverleaf Local School District.

According to court documents, they were all filed by parents on behalf of their children, each one objecting to the mask mandates put in place by the districts. They claim the mandates violate their children’s constitutional rights.

“There is no constitutional right involved,” said Sharona Hoffman, a professor of law and bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Hoffman said nothing can be ruled out before the case is litigated in court, but she doesn’t believe the plaintiffs have a strong case.

“There’s always a chance because you never know what judge you’re going to get and what the judge will decide if there are political agendas, etc. But I don’t think the plaintiffs have a strong case because states and school boards and school districts have the power to institute orders and rules that are meant to promote public safety and public welfare,” said Hoffman.

“Schools have all sorts of rules, uniform rules, health rules. And this is no different and this is really critical to the health of children who are not yet vaccinated,” said Hoffman.

Each lawsuit includes testimony from Stephen E. Petty, an industrial hygienist and owner of Engineering and Expert Services, Inc. based in Dublin, Ohio, and Pompano Beach, Florida.

“The field of industrial hygiene is a field associated with anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of things that can make you sick, uncomfortable, even kill you. And so our job is to figure those things out and then figure out ways to control them,” said Petty.

In court documents, Petty claims masks don’t protect people against the spread of COVID-19, and instead says those who are required to wear masks suffer “immediate and irreparable” injury, loss, and damage. more

STEPHEN PETTY’S PODCASTS