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Orange County School Board's Mask Mandate Challenge Rejected By California Supreme Court
The California Supreme court has rejected the Orange County Board of Education's challenge to the statewide school mask mandate.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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The California Supreme Court will not take up a legal challenge to the state's mask mandate for teachers and students in K-12 schools.
That lawsuit was filed against Gov. Newsom on Aug. 10 by the Orange County Board of Education. The petition was denied on Wednesday.
The board claimed the governor's mask mandates were a violation of constitutional and statutory law and that they "compound the harm to California’s children previously caused by prior school closures and unwarranted masking requirements.”
It's been so far, so good when it comes to students following the rules, said Pamela Kahn, coordinator of health and wellness for Orange County's Department of Education (which is separate from the Board).
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"We are not having a whole lot of problems with kids not wearing masks," Kahn said. "Most of our kids are going along with it and parents recognize the importance of it in keeping our kids safe, thankfully."
Kahn, who spoke at a news conference on the status of COVID-19 in Orange County, said that some exemptions have been made for children with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a face covering. Kids who can't wear masks are required to wear a face shield with a cloth drape at the bottom instead.
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