“When the government allows bars, restaurants, concert halls, sports venues attended by thousands of people, shopping centers—the list could go on and on—to be exempt from mask mandates, it cannot deny the same right to religious schools,” said Tucker.
“Mayor Bowser’s rule makes no sense—children are free to go mask free to any activity in the city except going to school. If it is safe for thousands of people to attend a concert without a mask, surely it is safe for a child to read, pray, and play dodgeball without a mask,” he added.
Until March 1, children enrolled in schools in Washington, as well as their teachers, had to wear masks indoors and outdoors. Now, the mask mandate only applies for indoor activities. The city lifted its indoor mask mandate for most other activities on Feb. 28, although schools, nursing homes, and medical facilities had to remain masked.
Others say that Bowser’s policy is unconstitutional.
“Mayor Bowser is unconstitutionally burdening these religious schools and the children who attend them by still requiring that they wear masks when she has lifted this mandate for almost every other privately run business and organization in the district,” said ADF Senior Counsel Matt Bowman in a statement released by the the organization.
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