Some parents of Virginia children with disabilities are suing Gov. Glenn Youngkin over his ban of school mask mandates.
The ACLU of Virginia, one of several groups representing the parents, said in a statement Tuesday that the children involved have conditions including cancer, cystic fibrosis, moderate-to-severe asthma, Down syndrome, lung conditions and weakened immune systems.
The suit claims that the governor鈥檚 ban on mask requirements in schools leaves the children vulnerable to serious illness if they contract COVID-19, and in effect violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
鈥淐hildren with serious medical conditions need to feel safe at school,鈥� Colleen Miller, executive director of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, said in the statement. 鈥淢ask mandates allow them to access the educational services to which they are entitled.鈥�
Youngkin鈥檚 executive order 鈥渟hows a reckless disregard for students with disabilities across Virginia,鈥� said Kaitlin Banner, the deputy legal director of the Washington Lawyers鈥� Committee. 鈥淭he Order prevents schools from taking reasonable steps to make sure their students can go to school and enjoy the same educational experiences as their friends.鈥�
鈥淭he governor is preventing some of the state鈥檚 most vulnerable children from returning to, or remaining in, public schools,鈥� added Eden Heilman, the ACLU of Virginia’s legal director.
The ban on mandates was one of a passel of orders Youngkin issued on his first day in office, Jan. 15. Since then, the controversy has dominated his tenure, with seven school systems and several parent groups suing to stop it, as well as multiple systems ignoring the order.
It has also had an opposite effect as three parents filed a separate suit against the Loudoun County School Board for ignoring Younkin鈥檚 order.
Youngkin, writing in The Washington Post last month, tried to redefine the word 鈥渕andate,鈥� saying he hadn鈥檛 banned mandates but simply allowed parents not to follow them if they didn鈥檛 want to.
WTOP has asked Youngkin’s office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.聽
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