ACLU sues over South Carolina ban on school mask mandates

By ANNIE MA
Associated Press

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit over a South Carolina law that bans school districts from imposing mask mandates. The lawsuit argues the ban effectively excludes vulnerable students from public schools and disproportionately impacts students with underlying health conditions or disabilities, who are at risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract COVID-19. South Carolina legislators included a provision in the state’s general budget that prevented school districts from using state funding to mandate masks in schools. Gov. Henry McMaster has said parents should have the choice of whether or not children should wear masks in schools.