ISD’s to mask or not mask

ELLIS COUNTY – Governor Greg Abbott banned the school mask mandate in Texas recently.

This was done after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stopped a federal judge’s injunction.

So now, what are Ellis County ISD’s doing in regard to the decision to have their student’s wear a mask or not?

James Hartman, Ferris ISD Superintendent said, “Ferris ISD implemented a temporary mandatory face covering protocol from Sept. 7 through Sept. 21 during the dramatic spike in Ellis County hospitalizations.”

He said however, now face coverings are permitted and encouraged, but are not mandatory, before and after that brief window when the masks were being required federally.  

Even though the city of Red Oak has continued to call state of emergencies due to COVID-19, partially in order to receive funds if necessary, the Red Oak ISD does not have a mask mandate either.

”At Red Oak ISD, we do not have a mask mandate,” Beth Trimble, CPC, Red Oak ISD, Executive Director of Communications said.

“Our brief mask mandate earlier this fall was in place for a week before Texas Attorney General said even those with exemptions would be sued, so we lifted ours instead of paying legal fees.”

Some of the controversy had began when Federal Judge Lee Yeakel said that the banning mandates in ISDs did violate the student’s rights who had disabilities. With that call it opened the door for face coverings in districts to be required so as not to spread the pandemic.

The ruling said the governor decreeing such an order was problematic in schools because of the federal disability act, but the 5th circuit court said after an appeal from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that the absence of masks was not harmful to students who had been named in the lawsuits asking masks be required for students to wear.

While many ISDs in Ellis County have opened the way for students to wear masks only if they choose, Dallas ISD does still require its students and staff to wear masks while on campus.