Two Kansas counties sued over mask mandates

MISSION, Kan. (AP) – Lawsuits were filed Friday challenging a mask mandate for students and staff in elementary schools in Kansas’ most populous county and another mandate requiring everyone 5 and older in a small rural county to mask.

The suits, filed against officials in Johnson County in the Kansas City area and smaller Morris County, are believed to be the first since the state’s Supreme Court granted a stay last week allowing enforcement of a pandemic-inspired law.

The law allows those who oppose mask requirements or restrictions on public gatherings imposed by Kansas counties to challenge them in court and obtain a ruling within 10 days.