Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt received thousands of emails from parents statewide complaining about school districts that defied a state court order to end mask and quarantine mandates in schools.
On Nov. 24, a Cole County Circuit Court judge ruled that mandated quarantines and masking violate Missouri’s Constitution and its separation of powers clause, according to FOX 4. Schmitt created the email shortly after as he believes that the court ruling declares school health restrictions to be “null and void.”
“Parents are encouraged to email … their concerns, photos, videos, documents, and other supporting information,” Schmitt said in a press release.
Schmitt’s office told the Daily Caller that the inbox received 7,500 emails from concerned parents and students. The Attorney General’s office filed 53 cease and desist orders in response to school districts that allegedly failed to comply with the Cole County Circuit Court decision.
Schmitt created a tweet thread highlighting complaints submitted to the email. In one incident, a high school junior at Columbia Public Schools reported pressure to continue wearing his mask on school grounds.
“I am a Junior at Columbia Public Schools who goes to Hickman and also takes classes at the Career Center,” the complaint reads. “I have tried to not wear my mask several times today and every time I get told I have to put one on. I have just put one on to keep myself from being sent home.”
UPDATE: Below is one of the many complaints received from a Rockwood parent, and a letter our office sent to the Superintendent demanding they cease & desist enforcement. Please continue to provide us with more information by emailing illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov #NoMoreMandates pic.twitter.com/44ULEFNuwd
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) December 8, 2021
Another complaint alleges that a female high schooler was forced to wear a mask and sit at a “segregated lunch” table as a modified form of quarantine. (RELATED: Private School Threatens To Suspend Students Who Improperly Wear Face Masks)
“My daughter has been deemed a close contact of a positive covid case and is on a modified quarantine, being forced to wear a mask and is being publicly shamed by being required to eat a segregated lunch in the small gym of her high school … by being made to sit on the stage at one table with one chair on the entire stage in front of all her peers,” the complaint alleges.
The Fox C-6 School District is publicly shaming students and making them sit at a segregated lunch table. This is absurd. #NoMoreMandates pic.twitter.com/iaSRhC4Ohs
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) December 9, 2021
Another parent alleged that their son had the police department called on him for refusing to wear a mask on Columbia Public Schools property.
“Today, 12/9/21 my son had Columbia Police Department called on him by the Director of the Career Center for refusing to leave because he wouldn’t wear a mask,” the allegation reads.
The Director of the Columbia Career Center called the Columbia Police Department and had a student removed because he refused to wear a mask. Unacceptable. #NoMoreMandates pic.twitter.com/wqwSs0HFrr
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) December 9, 2021
“After receiving this information, we sent 52 cease and desist letters to school districts across the state, ordering them to stop enforcing mask mandates and quarantine orders to face further legal action from our office,” a spokesperson for Schmitt told the Daily Caller. “Since those letters were sent out, a number of school districts either rescinded or plan to rescind their mask mandates or quarantine orders.”
A spokesperson for Schmitt said the Attorney General plans to file lawsuits against school districts that still enforce mask and quarantine orders beginning in January.