Parents And Doctors File Lawsuit Against The State

The Governor's office is facing another challenge to the school face mask law from parents and doctors. 

Senate Bill 658 prohibits schools from requiring masks unless Governor Kevin Stitt declares a state of emergency.  He has said he has no intention of doing that anytime soon. 

Now a group of public-school parents and the Oklahoma State Medical Association are suing him. 

The group said the law violates equal protection, the Oklahoma constitution, due process, and Oklahoma children's right to free education in a safe environment. 

The state medical association said in a statement: "If schools can send students home for a lice infection, they should have the latitude and ability to issue a mask mandate." 

The state representative who wrote the law argues parents, not schools, should have the right to decide whether their child should mask. 

"There's been a lot of talk about local control, that we are overstepping into local control, but parents are the most local control," said Representative Kevin West, Senate Bill 658 author.  

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 66% of parents support mask mandates for unvaccinated students and staff in schools. 

Governor Stitt's office said they do not comment on pending litigation. A hearing is set for August 18th.