Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overthrows Mask Mandates in State’s Public Schools

Richard Moorhead | Dec 10, 2021



The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned a statewide mandate requiring face masks in public schools on Friday, throwing out an order of Governor Tom Wolf.
The court ruled that the mask mandate was illegal because Wolf’s acting health secretary issued it without legal authorization. This opens the door for Wolf to make a new mandatory masking order, which could possibly spur another battle in the state’s legal system. However, Wolf has said he plans to let school districts make their own mandatory mask policies in January, potentially rendering the issue a moot affair at the state level.

A lower court had earlier ruled that acting Health Secretary Alison Beam failed to properly make an emergency declaration necessary for the mandate, and didn’t follow state laws pertaining to the issuance of new regulations.
Local school districts will now make their own calls on seemingly endless mask-wearing with little to no medical benefits. It’s likely school districts in the more rural and conservative areas of the state will dispose with endless masking, whereas urban and liberal school districts will require mandatory muzzles on young schoolchildren.

Youth stand little to no chance of serious coronavirus infection, with only a handful of children having died of the disease since the beginning of the pandemic.
Academic studies have indicated that wearing face masks impairs the cognitive and verbal development of children, with tests revealing dramatic drops in intelligence tests between masked and unmuzzled children.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overthrows Mask Mandates in State's Public Schools - Big League Politics