A federal judge has issued a ruling overturning Texas Governor Greg Abbott's order banning schools from issuing mask mandates. The ruling stated that the ban on Texas schools violates the rights of students with disabilities and those with compromised immune systems.
According to Judge Lee Yeakel of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, the order from the governor violated the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act because it put children with disabilities in danger.
Judge Yeakel said in his ruling that the COVID-19 presents a particularly higher risk for children with special needs. He added that those with certain underlying conditions could end up dead or in serious condition if they contract the disease.
The State Supreme Court has upheld the governor's prohibition on several occasions. However, the impact of the federal verdict on Wednesday might be seen throughout the country in similar lawsuits in other states.
The ruling will be clearing the way for school districts in the state to immediately issue their own mask-wearing rules, which will affect more than 5 million students.
For months, rules on mask-wearing in Texas schools have become a hotly contested topic, resulting in major disputes at the state level. Those in favor of the mandates argue that the measure would prevent the further spread of COVID-19, while those against said it favor parents' rights to determine how their children should be protected.
Abbott and other state officials against school mask mandates argued that protecting against COVID-19 is a matter of "personal responsibility" that should not be forcefully enforced.
The latest ruling was for a lawsuit filed against the state on behalf of several Texas families of students with disabilities and disability rights organization Disability Rights Texas. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the ban on school mask mandates put students with disabilities at high risk of contracting the disease while attending schools that have not to mask mandates.
The lawsuit named the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton, the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, Mike Morath, and the Texas Education Agency as defendants.
The complaint was initially filed in August, just before the start of the autumn term. Disability Rights Texas stated that school district administrators should be free to decide whether or not to impose mask mandates. According to the organization, school districts should make judgments based on the Covid transmission in their region and the requirements of their children.
