Parents Sue Central Bucks Over Mask-Optional Policy In Schools

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Central Bucks School District is facing a federal lawsuit from parents as the 2021-22 school year begins with a mask-optional policy in effect.

The district’s board of education voted 5-4 last week against adopting universal masking requirements amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, despite public health officials at all levels urging districts to mandate mask-wearing for the start of the new school year.

The board heard from 30 parents during its most recent meeting, with speakers evenly split on the mask-mandate issue. Some parents likened mask mandates to child abuse and threatened to sue the school district if the board adopted stricter mitigations for students.

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Though the board avoided potential litigation from that set of parents, its decision to stick with a mask-optional policy has put the school district at the center of a federal lawsuit from parents whose children have special needs, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The parents who filed the suit allege the Central Bucks School District’s health and safety plan, which includes the mask-optional policy, violates their children’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the report states.

Parents are asking a federal judge to order the Central Bucks School District to require masks and comply with public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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“Since the CBSD school board did not pass the excellent proposed health and safety plan following the CDC and AAP guidance, a lawsuit will be moving forward very quickly, ideally before school starts, where the case will go to court,” Susan Lipson, an organizer of the lawsuit, said last week on a GoFundMe page seeking help with legal costs.

As of Monday afternoon, the fundraising campaign has brought in more than $39,000 from more than 300 donors since its creation last week. Organizers are aiming to raise at least $40,000 to cover legal costs related to the lawsuit.

Ron Feldstein, who donated $2,000 according to the campaign page, noted other school districts in the region have mandated masks and questioned the Central Bucks school board’s reasoning.

“No masks will only close CBSD schools down,” Feldstein wrote on the page. “The short-sightedness is frightening.”

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Lipson lauded the Central Bucks community Friday after raising tens of thousands of dollars for the lawsuit in just a few days.

“Together we have made a phenomenal statement that we need to follow CDC and AAP guidelines to keep the children, teachers and staff in our schools safe as well as prevent the spread of COVID in our community,” she wrote on the page.

The Central Bucks school board is set to again review the district’s health and safety plan at its meeting Tuesday night. Students in the district returned to class Monday.

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