Pittsburgh-Area School District Sued Over Mask Policy

PITTSBURGH PA — The North Allegheny School District and its directors have been sued over the district's optional mask policy approved last month. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by a group of at-risk students and their parents.

The 54-page lawsuit contends the district is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and asks for an injunction ordering the school board to rescind the policy. The litigation comes amid a local and national spike in COVID-19 omicron variant cases.

"The school board has put the parents of medically vulnerable students in the position of having to decide whether to keep their children at home where they will likely suffer continued learning loss or risk placing them in an environment that presents a serious risk to their health and safety," the lawsuit states. "This brutal choice forces children into a situation that violates...the ADA."

The lawsuit does not name the four children and their parents who are the plaintiffs. The lawsuit contends that the children have conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

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