Mo. attorney general sues school districts for imposing mask mandates on children

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against continued mask mandates in public schools. The class action lawsuit was filed by Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Tuesday.

Schmitt claimed mask mandates put in place by certain Missouri school districts were more harmful to students than they were helpful. He pointed out students lost facial expressions and visual cues from their peers and teachers when forced to mask up, which could set them behind other children.

“There have been no deaths under the age of 10. There has been five under the age of 18. Of the hospitalizations, one in 200,000 is a kid related to COVID-19,” he explained. “You balance that with what we know as a growing body of evidence of potential psychological and emotional issues that kids suffer from having to wear a mask all day long and some of the learning difficulties.”

🚨Breaking: Today I filed a class action lawsuit against school districts in Missouri forcing masks on schoolchildren.

Families should be making these important decisions not government bureaucrats.

This is America. We have to fight back. #NoMaskMandates pic.twitter.com/7SNXYTgwjH

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) August 24, 2021

Schmitt added the lawsuit ultimately aimed to bring power back to parents to choose what was best for their children.