Fort Worth school district will require masks starting Monday after court actions
Fort Worth school officials issued a directive on Thursday requiring masks to be worn by employees, students and visitors inside all district buildings after court rulings opened the door for the face covering rule.
Fort Worth Superintendent Kent P. Scribner made the announcement Thursday, and the mask mandate will take effect starting on Monday.
Fort Worth Board of Education trustees approved a resolution at a special board meeting on Aug. 26 authorizing Scribner to implement a mask mandate once he could legally do so. At that time, it was blocked by a temporary restraining order which a judge granted to four parents of students in the Fort Worth school district on Aug. 13.
On Sept. 3, Tarrant County District Judge John Chupp granted a temporary injunction to the parents who are suing the school district in that case.
But attorneys representing the school district filed an appeal to the Second Court of Appeals on Tuesday and as a result of this action, the temporary injunction is paused and not enforceable against the district until further notice, according to school officials.
In addition, the Fort Worth school district was granted a temporary injunction in Travis County that prevents Gov. Greg Abbott from enforcing Executive Order GA-38 — which prohibits governmental entities from mandating masks — against the school district. The governor did not seek any injunction against the district in that lawsuit.
Fort Worth school officials said there are no court orders or executive orders that are prohibiting the district from implementing a mask requirement.
The parents who are suing the district filed an emergency motion Tuesday with the Second Court of Appeals, asking that court to grant a temporary injunction prohibiting a mask mandate while the district’s appeal is pending. On Thursday, the appeals court denied that motion.
The directive that begins Monday requires all staff, parents, students and visitors to wear face masks to protect against COVID-19 at all Fort Worth school district indoor facilities, absent a medical exemption. The district is using the same indoor mask protocol that students and staff followed in the 2020-21 school year.
Wearing masks at outdoor events will be left up to each individual, school officials said.
The resolution also directs Scribner to review the necessity for maintaining the mask mandate on a monthly basis by using CDC guidelines, medical guidelines and local hospital capacity. The superintendent will advise the board on his conclusions, district officials said in a news release.
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 4:11 PM.
