Mask mandate lifted in Perkiomen Valley School District after legal battle
The superintendent said students and staff are no longer required to wear a mask during the school day following a judge's ruling.
COLLEGEVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A mask mandate has been lifted in the Perkiomen Valley School District after a months-long legal battle.
The superintendent of the Montgomery County District notified students and their families on Monday that Judge Wendy Beetlestone dissolved the preliminary injunction that had kept a mask mandate in place.
She said students and staff are no longer required to wear a mask during the school day effective immediately.
"Anyone certainly can should they choose to, but no one is obligated to do so," Russell wrote.
The school board voted 5-4 late last year to end the mandate in January. However, one day after masks became optional, Beetlestone issued a temporary restraining order that reimposed the mandate while the case was decided.
The plaintiffs argued that ending the mandate put immunocompromised students at risk and therefore violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Judge Beetlestone earlier said the district could file a motion to lift the injunction if the CDC released new guidance or there was a "relevant change" to the COVID-19 incidence rate in the community.
