U.S. Department of Education opens investigation into mask mandate ban in Texas schools
Source: Austin American-Statesman
The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates in Texas schools, even as dozens of districts are defying the prohibition as the state continues to experience high coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations.
The investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights will focus on whether Texas is violating federal law by preventing disabled students from safely returning to in-person classes. Suzanne Goldberg, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, sent a letter Tuesday to Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath informing him of the investigation.
"OCR is concerned that Texas’s restriction on schools and school districts from putting masking requirements in place may be preventing schools in Texas from meeting their legal obligations not to discriminate based on disability and from providing an equal educational opportunity to students with disabilities who are at heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19," the letter said.
According to the letter, the department’s civil right’s office will review whether schools are being prevented from making individual decisions about mask use to allow students to receive a free public education and to be free from discrimination based on their disability.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/09/21/texas-masks-mandate-ban-schools-department-education/5805618001/
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