Feds Begin Probe Of Texas Mask Ban On Behalf Of Those With Disabilities

Houston Chronicle: U.S. Department Of Education Is Investigating Gov. Abbott's Ban On School Mask Requirements
The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday launched a civil rights investigation into Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools, making Texas the sixth state to face a federal inquiry over mask rules. The investigation will focus on whether Abbott’s order prevents students with disabilities who are at heightened risk for severe illness from COVID-19 from safely returning to in-person education, in violation of federal law, Suzanne B. Goldberg, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights wrote in a letter to Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. (Wermund, 9/21)

The Washington Post: A Couple Wore Masks Inside A Texas Restaurant To Protect Their Newborn Son. The Owner Kicked Them Out.
Natalie Wester and her husband were waiting for their appetizer to arrive when the server came to their table, not with the fried jalapeños, but an ultimatum. Take your masks off or get out. On Sept. 10, the couple left their 4-month-old son, Austin, with his maternal grandmother and went to Hang Time Sports Grill & Bar in Rowlett, Tex., a Dallas suburb — a rare night out for the young parents, Wester told The Washington Post. The plan was to have dinner and a couple of drinks, catch up with friends they hadn’t seen in a while and call it a night. (Edwards, 9/21)

In news about mask-wearing in Kentucky —

The Washington Post: Kentucky School Boards Overwhelmingly Keep Mask Mandates After Republicans Repealed Statewide Directive
Mark Dougherty, an infectious-disease physician in Lexington, Ky., sees the toll the state’s most severe coronavirus wave is inflicting on communities with the school year back in session: The teacher placed on a ventilator, the bus driver nearing intubation, the critically ill custodian. He feared their cases would be the “tip of the iceberg” after the mostly Republican state legislature during a special session earlier this month repealed a statewide school mask mandate unilaterally put in place by the Democratic governor. But most Kentucky school districts made a different choice: They kept mask mandates in place. All but six of Kentucky’s 171 school districts kept mask mandates, including those in rural, conservative areas, according to tracking by the state school board association. (Nirappil, 9/21)

AP: Kentucky Elementary Suffers Third COVID-19 Death Among Staff
A grief-stricken elementary school in eastern Kentucky suffered its third COVID-19 death among its staff since the school term began when a beloved counselor died from the coronavirus, the district’s superintendent said Tuesday. Lee County Elementary counselor Rhonda Estes died Monday, Superintendent Sarah Wasson said. Estes was a fixture in the tight-knit community, working 35 years for the school system. A custodian and an instructional aide at the same school also died from the virus in recent weeks. (Schreiner, 9/21)

In other updates on covid mandates —

The Washington Post: County Health Director Says Woman Tried To Run Him Off The Road After He Backed Mask Mandate
Two days after his department issued a mask mandate, a health official had a plea for his county’s board of commissioners: “I need help.” “There is a sickness in America more far more insidious than COVID,” Adam London, director of Michigan’s Kent County Health Department, wrote in an Aug. 22 email. “You are more empowered to fight this disease than I am.” ... He said a woman driving more than 70 miles per hour tried to run him off the road twice in one night. He said someone also called him an expletive and then yelled, “I hope someone abuses your kids and forces you to watch!” (Anders, 9/21)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: UGA Faculty Risking Jobs By Planning Mask Mandate For Their Classes
More than 50 University of Georgia faculty members say they will soon require their students wear masks in their classes to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, violating rules against mandates the educators say could result in disciplinary action that includes losing their jobs. The faculty members, many with expertise in the study of infectious diseases, sent a letter Tuesday to university administrators detailing their plans concerning the mask requirement, which they plan to start in two weeks. The potential action is likely the largest effort by faculty at any University System of Georgia school. At least one UGA professor has already enacted a mask requirement for his classes. (Stirgus, 9/21)

AP: Iowa Focuses On Masks As Coronavirus Deaths Rise
More than 18 months after Iowa’s first coronavirus case, the state finds itself in a protracted argument over the value of wearing masks, especially in schools where children are increasingly becoming infected with the virus. As the COVID-19 death toll in Iowa tops 6,400 people, discussions in the state have shifted away from vaccination efforts and more toward masks following a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked a state law banning mask mandates in schools. (Pitt, 9/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: West Contra Costa Teachers File Cal/OSHA Complaint Over COVID Safety Rules
Teachers in West Contra Costa Unified School District have filed a complaint with state workplace safety regulators alleging that the district policies on COVID testing and outbreaks are inconsistent and that teachers are told they cannot send home students who exhibit symptoms. The complaint filed on Aug. 31 with the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health comes as the district struggles to contain the virus, with more than 200 confirmed cases among students and staff, and 25 classrooms closed since the beginning of the school year. (Swan, 9/21)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Parents Who Push For Medical Exemptions To School Mask Rules Get Pushback From Doctors
After the mother missed the deadline to sign up for remote schooling, she begged her son’s pediatrician to sign a letter exempting the 5-year-old from the Philadelphia School District’s mask mandate. The child had mild asthma, and she thought a mask would make it worse. She also thought he was too young to comply with the all-day rule. Daniel Taylor, director of community pediatrics and child advocacy at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, patiently explained why he couldn’t provide an exemption: A mask would not affect the child’s asthma and since asthma could worsen COVID-19, masking was particularly important for him. Teachers were being trained to help kids wear face coverings properly. And the best thing the mother could do to protect her son and herself would be to get vaccinated. (McCullough, 9/21)