Federal District Judge Lee Yeakel tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 10) overruled Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools, declaring that Abbott’s order — intended to placate right-wing anti-maskers he hopes will help him get re-elected next year — violates the Americans With Disabilities Act and puts at risk the health of children with disabilities, according to a report by The Texas Tribune.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Disability Rights Texas.
Yeakel said, ““The spread of COVID-19 poses an even greater risk for children with special health needs. Children with certain underlying conditions who contract COVID-19 are more likely to experience severe acute biological effects and to require admission to a hospital and the hospital’s intensive-care unit.”
He said Abbott’s order “impedes children with disabilities from the benefits of public schools’ programs, services and activities to which they are entitled,” the Tribune notes. The judge also barred Texas Attorney General from trying to enforce the mask mandate ban.
s charges and is also under investigation by the FBI on allegations that he has abused the power of his office — has not yet issued a formal statement in response. But in a tweet, he said that he disagrees with the ruling and that “My Agency is considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision.”
— Tammye Nash
