Oklahoma school mask mandate ban blocked, exemptions a must

(AP) An Oklahoma judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily block a state law banning public school mask mandates, but students or their parents can opt-out of the requirement if they choose.

Judge Natalie Mai said she will issue a temporary injunction that will go into effect next week when she issues a written order detailing her ruling. Mai said she is blocking the law because it applies only to public, not private, schools and that schools adopting a mask mandate must provide an option for parents or students to opt-out of the requirement.

The ruling drew praise from Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined the lawsuit brought by four parents who oppose the law.

“This is a victory for parental choice, personal responsibility and the rule of law,” Stitt said in a statement.

Clarke said she was also pleased with the ruling.

“This is just a first step in ensuring our schools maintain local control and can choose the best path for their students, faculty and staff,” Clarke said in a statement.

“While not included in SB 658, some businesses’ mitigation efforts such as mask and vaccine requirements have been under fire,” Clarke said. “Our stance is that in order to promote a healthy environment, a business should be able to develop rules that keep their employees safe without interference from state government.”

The U.S. Department of Education on Monday announced an investigation into Oklahoma and four other Republican-led states — Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah — that banned or limited mask requirements in schools. The department said the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

Other states previously outlawed mask mandates, but the policies were overturned by courts or are not being enforced, including in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona.