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Judge Tosses ‘Let Them Breathe’ School Mask Lawsuit

California school mask mandate opponents mull options after judge dismisses lawsuit

FOX NEWS – A judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate in K-12 schools, but opponents of the mandate are not admitting defeat just yet.

San Diego County Judge Cynthia A. Freeland dismissed the lawsuit filed by Reopen California Schools and Let Them Breathe, which was aimed at challenging the governor’s authority to issue a mask mandate for schools in California.

Freeland said in the order dismissing the lawsuit on Friday that the state “has a compelling interest in minimizing the impact of contagious diseases like COVID-19 on children as those diseases may impact a child’s ability to attend school.”

Jonathan Zachreson, founder of Reopen California Schools, told Fox News that the mask requirement interferes with the students’ education.

“For younger kids, it has an impact on speech. You’re trying to learn English as a second language. People who are hard of hearing,” Zachreson said. “There’s a variety of things that impact children in different ways.”

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California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly has previously said that masking is a simple way to offer in-person learning.

Ghaly said:

“Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with offering full in-person instruction.

“At the outset of the new year, students should be able to walk into school without worrying about whether they will feel different or singled out for being vaccinated or unvaccinated – treating all kids the same will support a calm and supportive school environment.” 

Currently, masking is required for students in K-12 schools in California and adults are required to wear a mask “when sharing indoor spaces with students,” according to the California Department of Public Health.

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Freeland said:

“Courts should decline to second-guess public health officials’ actions in an ‘area[] fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties.’”

The judge said in the order that there “simply is no language in the Guidance, however, that requires, directs, or otherwise authorizes schools to force students into an independent study program.”

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