The state Supreme Court is just now releasing its rationale for why it ruled that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration had no legal authority to require masks in Pennsylvania’s schools and child care centers, even amid a pandemic and surging cases of COVID-19.
Pennsylvania schoolchildren may soon be attending classes unmasked under a state Supreme Court ruling throwing out the Wolf administration’s statewide mandate that face coverings be worn inside K-12 school buildings.
A state judge says an order that requires masks inside K-12 schools and child care facilities to contain the coronavirus should expire Dec. 4, although that’s unlikely to be the final legal development. Tuesday’s ruling by Commonwealth Court Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon comes a week after her court threw out the statewide mask mandate.
The Joint Committee on Documents voted 7 to 4 on Thursday to uphold the validity of Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam’s Aug. 31 order. The order applies to K-12 schools and child care facilities and is designed to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Commonwealth Court is deciding a pair of lawsuits filed by parents who contend that masks interfere with their children’s breathing and cause other problems.
Educators say there’s a clear choice: Limit the spread of the virus, or risk going back to online and hybrid learning.
By Brett Sholtis Just over a week ago, Keely Childers Heany, Heidi Moser, Sarah Dickey and Laura Shenk launched a campaign in response to what they view as unruly conduct at school board meetings.
The American Academy of Pediatrics urge “back to class, wear a mask,” but local districts make final decision
By Merideth Bucher 
